Beyond Supernatural’s God/Chuck: Rob Benedict – The Man, The Actor, The Musician

Michelle
18 Min Read
Courtesy of The CW/WB

Actor, musician, songwriter, and all around decent human, Rob Benedict, defines what it truly means to be a “Jack of All Trades.” Or, should we say “Chuck of All Trades?” Most of us know Rob from his portrayal of Chuck Shurley on The CW’s Supernatural. Originally appearing in Season 4, Episode 18, “The Monster at the End of This Book,” Chuck was later revealed all the way in Season 11, to be none other than God, himself. And now, as we face the last season of Supernatural, it looks like God’s going to play a pretty important role at the end of things. We wouldn’t have it any other way, and neither would the fans. Rob has made a lasting impact on the Supernatural fandom as a fan-fave. However, he’s not just known for his role on Supernatural.

As the next part of our Beyond series, we take a look at some of our favorite Rob Benedict projects beyond Supernatural; both onscreen and off.

KINGS OF CON (2016-2017)

Courtesy of Kings of Con/Thruline Entertainment

Rob and Richard Speight, Jr. collaborated on a comedic web series titled Kings of Con. Rob and Rich took some real life events from their experiences on the convention circuit and turned it into a hilarious show with some quirky characters and insane situations. Their Supernatural co-stars and friends are seen throughout the series as well. Kim Rhodes, Kurt Fuller, Gil McKinney, Josh Meyers, Matt Cohen, and Sebastian Roche, just to name a few, make appearances and are amazing as the supporting cast to Rob and Rich’s tomfoolery. If you like to laugh and appreciate fast-talking comedy, check out Kings of Con. You won’t be sorry.

FILMS

A Little Help (2010)

Courtesy of A Little Help/Secret Handshake Entertainment

A Little Help was written and directed by Michael J. Weithorn, and follows Laura (played by Jenna Fisher) who tries to reconstruct her and her son’s life after the sudden death of her husband and the discovery of his infidelity. Rob plays Paul Helms, her brother-in-law, who has had a crush on her since high school and who married her sister Kathy. The title of the movie came from a story Paul tells Laura about how he threw a tennis ball over the fence and asked for a little help. Paul loves music, works at a radio station and now supports his talented son in his love of music. You can’t help but love his character, who is sweet and funny, despite having married one sister while carrying a torch for the other.

30 Miles From Nowhere (2018)

Courtesy of 30 Miles from Nowhere

30 Miles from Nowhere is a horror film that follows a group of college friends who reunite after the funeral of an estranged friend. It takes place in rural Wisconsin, where friends stay at a cabin in the middle of nowhere and things take a terrifying turn. The film stars Carrie Preston and Seana Kofoed, and Rob plays Larry, the ‘jerk’ friend of the group.

The movie has a lot of twists and turns throughout making it a wild ride, and Rob plays the role of Larry to perfection.

Waiting… (2005)

Courtesy of Waiting/Lionsgate Films

This crude comedy has definitely has become a cult classic over the years. The film follows a group of young people during their shifts at the restaurant that they all work at. Benedict plays the role of Calvin; a pushover who is working a double shift for a girl that he likes and who also has an issue with using public restrooms.

Yes, the movie is rated R, and with good reason as it’s filled with explicit humor; but it’s a classic, especially for anyone who has ever worked in the restaurant industry. Benedict joined a pretty stellar comedic cast (Ryan Reynolds, Anna Farris, Justin Long, and so many others), and even went on to star in the films sequel, Still Waiting.

SHORT FILMS

The Sidekick (2013)

Courtesy of The Sidekick/Two Nad Productions

The Sidekick is a short film released in 2013 directed by Michael J. Weithorn and written by Rob Benedict himself. The short follows Max McCabe (played by Benedict), sidekick to Captain Wonder (played by Ron Livington) until he is fired and replaced, because he has grown indifferent to the job. Cast aside in a society who doesn’t have a place for him, he is helped by Bailey, a teacher (played by Lizzy Caplan), to find his place in the world. The Sidekick is a wonderful comedy about finding purpose in life. Rob plays Max in such a way it’s really easy to identify with the sidekick’s struggles while he is reorienting his life.

The Case of the Missing Garden Gnome (2012)

Courtesy of The Case of the Missing Garden Gnome/ University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts.

The Case of the Missing Garden Gnome is a short film released in 2012, directed by Alberto Belli and written by Joe Swanson.  The film follows private investigator Seamus who has reluctantly joined forces with his ten year old daughter to find a missing garden gnome. In the process, the father daughter duo, who have had a less than ideal relationship, bond over the case and become closer. The Case of the Missing Garden Gnome is a sweet story filled with quirky characters and humor.

Lifetripper (2011)

Courtesy of Lifetripper

Lifetripper tells the story of Stan Norman; a single dad who goes through his mundane life just the same each day. Directed by Graeme Joyce, Benedict shares writing credits on this beautifully filmed and heartfelt short story about a man who takes advantage of his over-talkative nature and funny jokes to try out a different path from his normal day-to-day life as he plays his hand at stand-up comedy.

TELEVISION

Benedict’s TV credits are extensive and he has had guest star roles on shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Shameless, NCIS, Monk, House, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Law & Order: LA, Shameless, Psych, NCIS: Los Angeles, Touch, The Mentalist, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, NCIS: New Orleans, and Bosch, a three-episode stint on Showtime’s Masters of Sex, and has appeared in four episodes of DC’s Birds of Prey.

Television is where Benedict is really able to show his acting chops, getting the opportunity to play a wide-array of characters like students, doctors, killers, lawyers, and CIA agents. If you’re making your way through Rob’s extensive TV credits, the three series listed next are ones you should definitely watch.

Threshold (2005-2006)

Courtesy of Threshold/CBS

Although Threshold only aired for one season, the one season that is out there is worth a watch. This science fiction drama, is about a secret government project that is investigating first contact with extraterrestrial species.

Benedict plays the role of Lucas Pegg, a young aerospace engineer who is soon-to-be married when he is suddenly recruited as a team member of Threshold. His character is smart, determined, and willing to take risks if it means they have a chance to stop an invasion. While his performance concerning the toll that an alien infection would take on a person was emotional, the best part of his story line was the fun back and forth with Arthur Ramsay (Peter Dinklage), who definitely has a soft spot for the kid.

Felicity (1998-2002)

Courtesy of Felicity/The WB

Benedict was a recurring cast member on the show, appearing in 36 episodes in its 4-year run. Richard Coad started out kind of annoying and a jerk, even going so far as to blackmailing Noel with his relationship with Felicity, barbecuing in his dorm room, and just being an all around unlikable guy. It was easy to dislike Richard throughout the series, but he still managed to sometimes be a good friend. His banter and eventual friendship with Noel was sweet, and because of his warming up to Noel, Richard eventually becomes a part of the group dynamic. It is interesting to watch Richard somewhat grow as a character, although not completely in that he remained kind of a jerk through the series.

Head Case (2007-2009)

Courtesy of Head Case/Starz

Head Case is certainly not for everyone. If you’re not into crude and sometimes explicit humor, maybe avoid this one. The series aired on Starz and centers around Dr. Elizabeth Goode who happens to be a therapist to the stars. The fun thing about this show is that a ton of really cool celebrities appear on it as themselves attending really wacky therapy sessions in which Dr. Goode doesn’t always give great advice in.

Benedict plays Jeremy Berger, a slimy Hollywood power agent who is pretty awful in a lot of ways. We find out that he is Dr. Goode’s ex (from a relationship that ended horribly for her) who shows up in season 2 trying to win her back. He convinces her that he’s changed and pretty quickly, the couple is engaged even though we know he hasn’t changed at all. The relationship advances pretty quickly, only to fail spectacularly in the end.

The character of Berger is easy to hate, but it’s a lot of fun to watch Benedict play jerks on TV. Plus, his dynamic with Alexandra Wentworth (Dr. Goode) is hilarious and a lot of fun, even if you catch yourself cringing from time to time. There’s so many interesting scenes, including an interesting musical serenade from Rob himself on one of the episodes.

MUSIC

Rob has said in the past that he loves acting, but his real passion is writing and playing music. Alongside his band mates Stephen Norton, Mike Borja and Billy Moran, Rob is one of the founding members of Louden Swain, an indie rock/pop band based out of Los Angeles. Louden Swain has been together for twenty years, writing and collaborating with each other creating some of the best music of today.

Courtesy of Staff Writer, Michelle Moats

The band’s popularity has skyrocketed within the past decade thanks to their presence at the Creation Entertainment Salute to Supernatural Conventions. Rob acts as a co-host, alongside Richard Speight, Jr. for the conventions, and he and his band also play songs throughout the weekend. A highlight of the weekend is the Saturday Night Special, which is a Louden Swain concert peppered with cover songs from the band and Rob’s fellow Supernatural actors.

Besides Louden Swain, Rob has another band he is busy with: The Station Breaks. Singer/songwriter Jason Manns, Rob’s Louden Swain band mate Billy Moran, and Rob make up The Station Breaks. Differing somewhat from the Louden Swain sound, The Station Breaks plays more folksy, lighter rock music, which is just another avenue for Rob to stretch his musical muscles with his friends. The trio have released one album and according to Rob are currently working on new music.

PODCASTS

In the last few years, Rob has participated in a lot of podcasts. He is one of the regular guests of  Arden Myrin’s podcast Will You Accept This Rose? Each week, Arden and her guests talks about the latest episode of The Bachelor, The Bachelorette or Bachelor in Paradise. WYATR is one of the funniest podcasts right now and it is worth to listen to it even if you don’t watch the show. Rob has also been nominated Bachelor of The Year 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Courtesy of Will You Accept This Rose?

Will You Accept This Rose? is not the only podcast Rob has done. He appeared on Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast Inside of You in 2018, on Busy Philipps and Steve Agee’s We’re No Doctors to discuss his stroke and he was a guest on BrandoCast with Brendan Smith to talk about music and the band The Replacements. Rob was also a cast member on the audio drama Passenger List alongside Kelly Marie Tran.

CHARITIES

Since suffering a stroke in 2013, Rob has been a supporter of the National Stroke Association (now the American Stroke Association) and has raised money for the charity by doing t-shirts campaign with Stands. In 2016 he did a campaign with Richard Speight, Jr., “Getting By With A Little Help”. In 2017, Rob launched the “Rock God” campaign and in 2018 he launched the “Rock God Roadie” campaign.

Courtesy of Stands

Rob also did a video to raise awareness about the signs of stroke and F.A.S.T. You can watch it here:

In July 2018, Rob was part of a twelve hour livestream on Twitch organized by Felicia Day to raise money for RAICES. In November 2018, Rob ran the Amica Seattle marathon with Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, Jason Manns, Rachel Miner, Adam Fergus, Genevieve Padalecki and Charlie Capen, as part of “The Bad Idea Tour.” They ran to raise money for Random Acts’ Endure 4 Kindness annual event, raising money to eradicate childhood hunger. And, these are only a few of the most recent charity events Rob has participated in.

Rob is an incredible actor, writer and singer, but he is also an amazing human being. He’s kind and thoughtful, and everyone who has ever met him raves about him. It’s easy to see why he’s such a fan favorite, and he always gives one hundred percent to every event, convention, and concert he’s at. Rob is giving us an outstanding performance as the “Big Bad” of the last season of Supernatural, but he’s so much more than his role on that show. Make sure you check out more of his projects, and follow us along at Nerds and Beyond for more news on Rob’s projects and concerts.

 

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Michelle lives in Columbus, Indiana with her husband Matt and her son, Clark. She works full time as an administrative assistant. She's been a fangirl for as long as she can remember. From obsessively watching the angst of the Beverly Hills 90210 gang, to laughing with all the Friends, slaying with Buffy, dancing to *NSYNC. Most recently, specifically starting in 2005, riding in the Impala alongside Dean and Sam on Supernatural.
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