Nearly a month after Jared Padalecki tweeted about being "in desperate and urgent need of my family," [1] the Supernatural actor is getting candid about what drove him to cancel his scheduled appearances. Jared touched on his unexpected break [2] from the spotlight during an interview at the Gilmore Girls [3] reunion in Austin, TX, on Saturday, June 6. "It's been amazing," he told Us Weekly. "I did reboot. I did have a chance to reboot, and it was amazing." Jared, 32, suggested the break was a long time coming. "I was 17 years old when I moved to Los Angeles, and I just kind of got into a habit . . . Everything was like, work, work, work, work, do, do, do, do," he said.

Jared looked happier than ever at the reunion [4]. He attended the event with wife Genevieve Cortese, with whom he shares two adorable sons [5]. The actor said his family is part of the reason he wants to slow down. "I have a wife. I have two sons, and so I really needed a chance to just unplug," he said. "And it was the best thing I've ever done. I'll probably do it every year." His time out also led to a big realization about the bigger picture. "You find out you're finite," Jared said. "And for a guy like me who's really Type A, put me to work, give me more, do more! It's difficult to admit that you're a finite individual, right? But it was humbling, and I'm very proud I got to do it."