Even Osric Chau aka Kevin Tran Is Dying To Know How 'Supernatural' Will End

Canadian television actor Osric Chau – famed for playing the high schooler-turned-prophet Kevin Tran in Supernatural – is just as curious about how The CW's long-running gothic drama series will end as fans are. This weekend, he'll be looking back on Supernatural as a celebrity guest at Oz Comic-Con in Melbourne, together with co-star Alexander Calvert (aka the Nephilim Jack Kline). "I like the cons because it gives me a chance to kinda dive into another perspective – you know, when we're making the shows, we hardly ever get a chance to watch shows ourselves," Chau says.

The Vancouver native "fell into" acting. Having excelled in martial arts as a teen, Chau planned to work as a stunt man. Yet he was offered a key role in Spike TV's 2008 Kung Fu Killer – starring David Carradine. Later, he appeared in The Man With The Iron Fists – an ambitious martial arts homage directed by the Wu-Tang Clan's RZA with Russell Crowe. Chau, depicting the assistant of RZA's character Blacksmith, enjoyed the prep but was dismayed that "a lot of wonderful scenes" weren't shot due to time constraints. "That was a crazy set for me," he laughs. "It was fun personally, professionally not so great, but it was still cool to be a part of."

Chau's big break arrived when he was cast as Kevin Tran in Supernatural. The show, coincidentally shot in Vancouver, trails brothers Dean and Sam Winchester (Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, respectively) as they hunt supernatural entities across the US. They eventually ally with the angel Castiel (Misha Collins) amid a biblical war, regarding themselves as "Team Free Will". Kevin is introduced in Season 7 as a high-achieving school student who, on being struck by lightning, becomes a Prophet of the Lord. Under possession by Gadreel, Sam heartbreakingly kills Kevin – who then rematerialises as a spirit.

Today, Chau believes that Kevin connected with audiences because of his relatability. "I think he represents just like a real aspect of this [Supernatural] world. There's so much that is so crazy, and I feel like most of the characters that I've seen introduced to that whole world have kind of just accepted it so fast. For me, his reaction to finding out all this stuff was just like, 'Yep, that's exactly how I would react.' Kevin is a student. He dealt with it so cooly and calmly like everything else – like SATs [the US college admissions test] might be scary, but he studied, he figured it out. Monsters are scary and he studies and he figures out how to beat them – like that's his thing. So he's a student. He just represented what maybe someone in the fandom would be like if they were thrown into that world. They'd probably freak out for a little bit – and then they've done their research, they've done their homework, and they'll figure it out. I just love that about Kevin; that he's just a student and it just happened to be a switch in subject." Brilliantly, Chau has played Sam in hilarious Supernatural parodies on the YouTube channel The Hillywood Show.

In March, Supernatural's leads announced in a Twitter video that the show will wind up with its 15th season. There's since been wild speculation about Supernatural revisiting beloved supporting characters, pending the actors' availabilities. Chau is open to the idea of Kevin's return. "At this stage, I feel like they're gonna bring as many people back as they possibly can! I would love to go back, but it really depends on scheduling. Hopefully, it works out. A bunch of us have already moved on to other things, but Supernatural still holds such a dear place in our hearts that, of course, if in any way it could work out schedule-wise, we would all just jump back – especially for the final season… I don't know how much thought they've put into what they're gonna do for the season exactly yet. So we'll see." Still, Chau is unsure how Supernatural will conclude – the Winchesters confronting chaos on Earth in Season 14's finale cliffhanger. "I've heard so many theories for so long," he laughs. "I think, for me, the exciting part is we're finally going to know how it's gonna happen, 'cause everyone's been speculating for so long. I just wanna know! Good or bad, crazy, sad or happy, whatever it is – I just wanna know."

Following Supernatural, Chau joined BBC America's offbeat Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, inspired by Douglas Adams' sci-fi novel, its ensemble cast including Samuel Barnett and Elijah Wood. Alas, the show was cancelled after two seasons, sparking a petition for Netflix to pick it up. "I loved Dirk Gently. I mean, the writing was phenomenal. The character development for every character – I thought they did such a great job with it. It was such a crazy show. Every time we had to read a script, we would have no idea how it would come out, because it was just so insane. Then we'd show up on set and it would be there, like, 'Ahhh…' The thrill of discovery was there every single day – and I loved Dirk Gently for that. Plus my character [Rowdy 3 cohort Vogel] was insane and all I did was yell and break things, so that's pretty fun."

An accidental actor, Chau is surprised where his career path has taken him so far. "I feel like everything just kinda happened, but it was a culmination of everything that I've ever done. I have a bunch of random mottos and philosophies, but I just head in a direction that I like. I don't know where exactly I'm gonna end up or what I'm gonna be doing. But I feel like, as long as I like the direction I'm heading in, it'll take me to some place that I don't know yet and, again, I love that thrill of discovery – so I don't want to know. I just wanna like which way I'm facing."

The Chinese-Canadian Chau has emerged as an influential advocate for diversity in the entertainment industry, fostering credible representation over stereotypes. "To me, that is the issue I am fighting the most strongly for and I think it's of utmost importance," he stresses. "I feel like it's important just to see ourselves reflected in the media. It helps a lot of people just know what's possible." In fact, Chau is himself expanding into film-making – his goal to assume greater control of his career, but also to generate opportunities for peers. He recently both starred in and produced the independent film Empty By Design. "It's 'cause we can't rely on other people to tell our stories; we have to do it ourselves. So, rather than complain about it [representation], I just felt like I should be doing it and then I can complain about it without being a hypocrite."