Almost the entirety of his acting career, Jared Padalecki has been largely known for two TV roles, Gilmore Girls' Dean and Supernatural's Sam, and he's been playing one or both for the past 20 years. Neither of those characters has been known for their plentiful facial hair, which has allowed Padalecki to basically look the same age for the entire time. However, that's all changing for his upcoming Walker, Texas Ranger reboot, as the actor has grown out a beard that Chuck Norris should definitely approve of.
While production on The CW's Walker hasn't yet kicked off in earnest, given the all-around lack of filming, the creative team is presumably keeping in touch to work on carving out details for episodic storylines and developing characters. And on the flip side, Jared Padalecki has been using that time to grow out a perfectly rugged mustache and beard that would look right at home Photoshopped on top of Chuck Norris' actual beard. (If anyone is capable of rocking two different beards at the same time, it's inarguably Chuck Norris.) Check out Padalecki's proto-Walker look below.
Now, Jared Padalecki's youthful eyes and longer hair up top obviously aren't mirror images of Chuck Norris or his Cordell Walker. But if you put your hand over everything from the nose up, leaving only Padalecki's mustache and beard combination, I dare say more than a few people could be fooled into thinking it was half of Norris' face. Those same people might wonder why I'm stopping them in the middle of traffic to ask about that, but such questions can not go ignored.
In any case, it's not every day that growing something that makes a Chuck Norris resemblance possible – beyond an angel's wings or a unicorn horn – but Jared Padalecki is embracing his inner Walker to the fullest. (Or I guess his outer Walker, as it were.) People might not realize that Norris' facial hair is just as signature a look as Tom Selleck's mustache or Vin Diesel's smooth head, but it definitely is. For visual proof:
To mimic Chuck Norris' facial hair is basically to grow just about everything out while keeping the inner cheeks clear. And those with even vaguely thin beard or mustache hair need not apply, because you shouldn't be able to see any skin beneath either of them. But don't go thinking one can just grow it out all big and bushy, since Norris keeps things immaculately trimmed. (All he really has to do is tell his hair to stop growing, and it listens.) Now, would it be cool as hell to see Chuck Norris growing out a Vikings-esque beard at some point? Hell yes it would, but it would probably be too cool for anyone to handle without going crazy, so he's basically saving the world year after year by keeping it short.
While there are currently no publicly announced plans for Chuck Norris to return to the world of Walker, Texas Ranger for the reboot, how badass would it be to have him and Jared Padalecki on screen together, just flat-out embarrassing everyone else who doesn't have beards like theirs? Make it happen, CW. And keep on rocking that spiffy facial hair, future Ranger Padalecki.
Jared Padalecki's Walker is currently still early on in the production process, so stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more news on that front. Fans can catch the actor's final Supernatural episodes when Season 15 returns to The CW on Thursday, October 6, at 8:00 p.m. ET. To see what else is coming to the small screen in the near future, head to our Fall TV 2020 premiere schedule.
