Golden Impala Award Time
Jared Padalecki, Best Actor
For "Swap Meat", s5, e12
Jared's performance in this is truly remarkable. In it, a high-school boy casts a spell and switches bodies with Sam, who happens to come into the diner where the boy works. It's a simple case of physical envy, which makes perfect sense! Jared gives a first-rate performance as a frustrated adult Sam locked into the body of this teenager, but what's really special is the performance he delivers as the kid locked inside his own body. He nails it, excitedly ordering a banana daiquiri, wolfing down a cheeseburger with bacon and a fried egg on top with an astonished Dean, and eagerly accepting an invitation from an older woman to leave the bar with her "..to have the sex with [her]!" Not to mention, posing with muscles flexed in front of a mirror, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at himself...very well done! Utterly believable, and very funny to boot.
I know I said I couldn't find many JP award-worthy performances, but that was crap. I just needed to dig deeper, which is a lot of fun, actually...