Nathan Fillion Once Shared He isn’t the ‘Sci-Fi’ Actor Some Fans Think He Is
Actor Nathan Fillion is widely known for sci-fi projects like Firefly and Slither. His gravitation towards this type of material has caused certain fans to label him as a sci-fi actor. But Fillion reminded people who’ve followed his work that there’s more to his filmography than that.
What Nathan Fillion thought about being labeled a sci-fi guy
Fillion was a familiar face in cinema’s sci-fi sub genre. In addition to his live action efforts, Fillion lent his talents in animated form as well. He starred as the superhero Green Lantern in a few animated movies produced by DC. He’ll also play another live-action version of Green Lantern in the upcoming Superman film. Speaking with IGN, Fillion confided that sci-fi was a genre that he’d never tire of. He’d even gotten more familiar with the genre after attending so many comic cons, which celebrated all things science fiction.
“I was fully aware that there’s sci-fi magazines, sci-fi conventions, horror magazines, horror conventions. I was aware that these things were out there. What I wasn’t aware of was, when you go and you attend these events and when you go and get online, thank God for the internet because these people can all coordinate and they’re constantly in touch. It’s never-ending,” he said.
“The feeling you get when you attend these events, more than just comradery,” Fillion added. “These people, they are passionate about these things… These people are passionate about something and, well, I’m passionate about it too. I like making sci-fi movies because I like watching sci-fi movies. I like watching horror. I like being in a horror movie. I’m a fan. My perspective’s a little different just because I get to participate as well as spectate.”
However, Fillion wouldn’t have considered himself solely a sci-fi star. He felt that people who labeled him as such weren’t very familiar with his work.
“People who think I’m just in the sci-fi genre are just simply not familiar with my other work,” Fillion once told Games Radar. “I’ve spent far more time doing everything except for sci-fi! So I’m glad that they watch it and I’m glad they’re a fan, but I then remind them of the three years I spent on a soap opera, the time I’ve spent doing drama, comedy, a sitcom. That’s five and a half years right there! You only got one slice of the pie – it’s an awesome pie! Go have more pie!”
Nathan Fillion would hate to only do sci-fi films
Given Fillion’s wide variety of films, it makes sense why he wouldn’t want to be pigeonholed in the subgenre. Although doing sci-fi projects may be a bit easy for Fillion at this point, the Castle star isn’t always looking to take acting jobs he can coast through.
“There’s challenges, they’re just on a different level, and probably more emotional or cerebral,” Fillion said. “I would hate to have to only do sci-fi, I would hate to have to only do horror. I’d be grateful if I continued to work in horror for the rest of my life. I would be grateful, thank you. I would love to be employed for the rest of my life… But what I would want to do is things that would frighten me, things that would scare me. I’ve never done that before, can I do that, can I show them that I can do it? It becomes about just wanting to be better and wanting to be good.”
