Last Updated on July 27, 2021
Next up is leading man (in every sense of the word)
Nathan Fillion , who plays Abraham Dale in WHITE NOISE 2: THE LIGHT, a man
who after his own near death experience, finds he can see who among the
living is about to die. Fillion is a jokester, a guy who is rarely serious,
but when he is, it’s a sight to see. Seeing the guy who gave the sci-fi
world a great character like Captain Malcolm Reynolds and recently played
small town sheriff Bill Pardy in SLITHER was a real treat, but also showed
me a side of the star that most will never see – a human one. The native
Canadian actor, who walked in with a red gash on his head, sat down to talk
about dealing with fame, his character in WHITE NOISE 2, and the fate of
SERENITY.
NATHAN FILLION INTERVIEW
Is that a real cut?
(Jokingly) What? (Looks around surprised) No, it’s
fake, it’s fake for the movie. (Smiles) I try not to let anything happen
to my face, my beautiful face.
How did you get that wound in the film?
Fisticuffs with the rapist killer, I guess, kidnapper,
rapist killer in the parking lot, saving somebody’s life. That’s my
job in the film, besides me saving the movie. (Laughs) I say that all
the time
What’s your character’s occupation in the film?
He’s a designer, he’s like a web designer, he’s in
advertising, it’s kind of here nor there. The deal is he witnesses the
murder of his wife and son and then the murderer then turns the gun on
himself and kills himself. So he’s left with nothing, he’s extremely sad in
the sense that he actually commits suicide and is brought back. So he has
this near death experience, after which he has the ability to tell in a
crowd of people who’s going to die. And then the movie kind of becomes
about what would you do with that kind of power, that kind of
responsibility. He’s not a strong, strong guy; he’s not a prepared man.
Malcolm Reynolds experienced loss and he was hardened, he became a rock.
Bill Pardy was unprepared, but he still really kind of did his best to take
care of business. I mean Abraham Dale, his first option was to opt out and
clock out; he’s a different kind of guy, Dale’s loss is different.
Given the subject matter, has this role been very
demanding on you?
(Jokingly) Absolutely! No, no, no. I say it everyday,
of all the jobs I’ve had, this is the least demanding. I have next to no
dialogue. There’s a lot of brooding, there’s a lot of moping, there’s a lot
of confusion, frustration dawning, lots of dawning. This is actually
something I’ve learned in the soap operas, we used to do this all the time.
In a soap opera you’ll have a scene, with two characters, at the end of the
scene there’s a slow close up on one of the characters, right? What are
they gonna say next? And it’s always kind of a long, drawn out close and
seems to never end and you’re left there, kind of (smiles) acting. So what
we used to do, was we called it “the three phases of a soap take”, it works
for any scene, any show, whatever your doing. And these are the phases –
first phase is “Did I leave the stove on?” (he gives a questioning look),
next phase, “I did leave the stove on!” (the look changes to a subtle
acknowledgement), third phase, “No, I turned the stove off!” (then a look of
both combined).
I read that you had a near death experience
yourself. How much did that affect you during the making of this film?
Little to none. I try to leave that in my past. If I
try to take anything from that experience, it’s the desire to extract
revenge on all my friends, who (jokingly) were watching me die! I’m waving
to them with both hands in the air, as I’m getting pulled into the undertow
in Costa Rica and they’re on the beach and they look back at me and give a
good bye wave and turn their back on me. (Jokingly) Since when is this
(waving both arms in the air) hello, from the water, from churning water?
(Laughs) Oh my god, it’s absolutely true! And then my friend, he mailed me
a letter that said “Hey I just read an article said you’re still sore about
that!”
So what are you preparing to shoot today?
Actually, I had a list, I’ve always had a list of
things I wanted to do on TV. I kind of came up with it with another friend
of mine when we were doing the soap opera and I wanted to shoot a gun, get
shot and ride a horse. In the Firefly pilot I got to shoot a gun, get shot,
ride a horse and then shoot a horse. So that one picture kind of took care
of everything, so I had to kind of come up with a new list. So when I’m
watching TV, I’m watching films, I always trying to say “Oh, that’s
something I want to do on film” and today was one of them. (Jokingly) Where
the camera’s over my shoulder and I’m writing, you know, I’m showing
everyone my penmanship.
Did anything change with the script or your
character, after you signed on?
(Jokingly) Originally, Abraham Dale was five foot.
They changed that. Him being short was integral to the story, but we kind
of shelved that story line. You know, I’ve worked on one program where
everybody was so tall I had to stand on a box the whole time. And when I
had to walk around, they would just line up boxes.
What’s been the most challenging thing about WHITE
NOISE 2?
You know, after SLITHER, everything is a cake walk. I
mean, I read scripts differently now after SLITHER. Like I read SLITHER and
I was like “Oh, this will be really fun, this is gonna be great.” But now I
know that when it says exterior night woods, you’re gonna spend two months,
at night, in the woods. All night, every night. And for me no problem, I’m
doing my thing, but for the crew and everything, there completely
nocturalized, if they have a family, they’ll never see them. There was a
lot of pain and suffering in SLITHER, out in the woods, in the rain, in the
mud. It was a hell of a lot of fun and we were all doing it together, to
persevere through those kinds of hardships together, it brings the group
closer and we’re all suffering together. It was great.
Are you a believer in the paranormal?
You know, I’ve never had a paranormal experience. I
don’t want to have a paranormal experience. I think it would shake the very
foundations of my belief system and I don’t want to have to be faced with
the reality that there’s something else. I mean people I love and trust
tell me stories of stuff that’s happened to them, but I’m not looking for…I
love ghost stories, I love them. I’m not looking to see them for real.
Please God, no ghosts.
With the film itself being so somber, was there any
outlet for your sense of humor?
There’s a really funny bit, really quick, tiny little
thing. They made a little homage to Captain Reynolds actually and if you
blink you’ll miss it.
How do you feel about shooting in Vancouver again?
I love it. I really like it here. (Jokingly, as the
rain comes down) I mean, the weather’s finally cleared up. I have a lot of
friends here, I love being in Canada, I love working with Canadians, I am
Canadian, I’m from Edmonton, Alberta. Working out of town can be stressful,
staying in a hotel, you don’t know anybody, you don’t have anything to do.
If you want your laundry done, you don’t know where the Laundromat is, it’s
kind of a pain. Here, I know where everything is, I got favorite
restaurants, movie theatres, a few friends, I got a bunch of friends here.
Jewel Staite is here, she was in Firefly. Some of my friends I’ve made
through jobs here.
What are some of your favorite hangouts here?
I worked at the very first Earls, there’s an Earls in
Edmonton, Alberta, it’s the original Earls. I got fired twice, long story.
(Laughs) But in that time, I just, I just…the Leroy’s Crispy Dry Ribs and
the hot wings, extra crispy, easy sauce, that and a Ceaser (a Canadian drink
made with Clamato), cause you can’t get a Ceaser in the states, a bloody
Ceaser that is. A bloody Ceaser is like a Bloody Mary, only its bloody
better. So I like to go to an Earls, there’s one right by my place, there’s
an Earls on Robson (Street), there’s an Earls over on Kitsilano, there’s
Earls everywhere. That and The Cactus Club.
Are you more famous in Canada then America?
Yes. Yes and Canadians have a really particular way
about showing they’re excited. In the states I get a lot of “Hey, that’s
that dude on TV!” right behind me in the bank. I mean, you didn’t just say
it, I know you want my attention, but it’s certainly not designed to make me
comfortable. I can hear you, I can hear you, I know you know I can hear
you. But there’s nothing you can say or do, you can’t make anybody smarter
or smarten up. In Canada, I’ll walk down the street and you’ll see that
dawning as you walk past them and they might come up and say “Excuse me sir,
I just want to say, I know who you are and I don’t want to get crazy about
it or anything, but we really enjoyed Firefly, my wife and I watch it every
night and we also thank you for SERENITY.” And they’re so extremely
pleasant and sincere. They keep a respectable distance, they don’t want to
come too close, whereas I remember in New York, “Hey, kiss my sister, kiss
my sister!” That’s not for me. “What are you, an asshole?” Yes, I’m an
asshole. So it’s different, yeah, I’m definitely more famous in Vancouver.
Both you and your co-star Katee Sackhoff come from a
television background, you guys sharing a lot of war stories?
We can share because we both have the experience of the
sci-fi conventions. Her experience is a little different, I think it’s
always gonna be different for girls. And as wonderful as fans can be,
sometimes, you know, one in a hundred is gonna be creepy. And it’s always
gonna be creepier for the girls, I think.
In a sci-fi hypothetical, if Malcolm Reynolds were
to fight Starbuck, who would win?
Well, I would think Starbuck would try to do the right
thing and fight honorably and I think Malcolm Reynolds would fight dirty and
cheat, he’d probably hit her when she wasn’t looking. Cause Malcolm
Reynolds isn’t above hitting a woman, he’s not above that, that’s something
I like about him. What I truly appreciate and I try to remind Katee of all
the time, is that I outrank her. Captain, Captain Reynolds.
There’s been rumors that NBC, Universal and Sci-Fi
Channel were planning to do a sequel of sorts to SERENITY, it would
basically broadcast premiere on the Sci-Fi Channel, have you heard anything
like that?
This is the first I’ve heard of that. I remember the
Sci-Fi Channel said no. I believe their reaction was, when we got canceled
by Fox we approached them to pick up the show and if I’m not mistaken, their
response was “It’s too sci-fi.” But as far as SERENITY goes, all I wanted
with Firefly was another crack at it. When it was taken away, it really
hurt, I really felt it. I wanted another crack and I wanted SERENITY to be
really good. I got those things; I got everything I wanted out of
SERENITY. Would I want to do sequels? Yes. Do I feel like a shit for
asking for more, after I’ve gotten everything I’ve ever wanted? Yeah, I
feel kind of crappy asking for more. But I’m quite happy with the way
things have turned out. Would I do a sequel? Yes. Do I demand it? No.
SERENITY director Joss Whedon describes you as being
the next Harrison Ford. What are your thoughts on that?
It’s a compliment, it’s a wonderful compliment. If
someone said I was the next, you know, Philip Seymour Hoffman I’d have to
say, “Why would they say that?” But I’m glad that it’s Harrison Ford. It’s
a compliment, I take it in stride. (Smiles) I’ll take it, I’ll take that
compliment.
Why would you be so surprised to be the next Philip
Seymour Hoffman?
(Jokingly) I don’t think we look alike!
With Whedon doing the WONDER WOMAN, has he talked to
you about being the male lead?
(Jokingly) I’m telling him I could play WONDER WOMAN!
(Laughs) I spent a couple of weeks camped out on his lawn. I’ve heard
that’s worked for some actors. He’s got a very bumpy lawn and I’m wearing
him down, I’m wearing him down. Nothing positive yet, nothings on paper,
but I’m wearing him down.
Someone recently posted a topic on the message
boards for IMDB.com for WHITE NOISE 2, under the heading of “Who’s gonna see
the film for Nathan Fillion?” I would say that 99.9% of the comments were
all positive, including a guy who stated that he may not like the film
itself, may even hate it, but he would even go see GIGLI 2 if you were in
it. (Fillion laughs, hard) How does that make you feel coming up as
an actor and now hitting your stride?
That makes me feel really good. Here’s the fortunate
part – I’ve had you know, the experience to have a couple of cool projects
in a row, where I can play, quite frankly, the coolest characters I’ve ever
played in really extraordinary circumstances. So, I mean, I’ve had a great
deal of fun, I enjoy it immensely. If people enjoy watching it half as much
as I enjoy doing it, we’re on the right track. Make’s me feel good, make’
STAY TUNED FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH
KATEE SACKHOFF
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