(Credits: Far Out / Publicity)
Sun 28 December 2025 11:00, UK
Few actors are more beloved in the “geek community” than Nathan Fillion, thanks to his work in horror, science fiction, and superhero stories.
The admiration goes both ways; Fillion seems to put his heart out into movies and shows with passionate fanbases, and seems to have just as deep a knowledge of cinematic history.
Although it may have been shocking at the time to consider that the actor who screwed up his big scene in Saving Private Ryan would end up becoming a film and television icon, Fillion has one of the most prolonged and memorable careers of any contemporary actor. In an industry where it’s constantly hard to find work, Fillion has had steady roles on television thanks to the network shows Castle and The Rookie, which have kept him employed for about twenty years.
Of course, those aren’t necessarily the projects that he is most remembered for; anyone who watched the short-lived science fiction series Firefly in its first run will always see Fillion as Captain Malcolm Reynolds, the wisecracking space captain who manned the crew of the starship Serenity. Serenity is also the name of the 2005 film, which was made as a sequel to the series after Firefly was callously cancelled by Fox in the midst of its first season.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Fillion, being the sci-fi legend that he is, told Entertainment Weekly that Aliens was one of the films that he could watch on repeat. Firefly shares many qualities with James Cameron’s iconic 1986 sequel, including the military action and inclusion of body horror. Fillion even got to deep his toes further into the mix of sci-fi and horror when he starred in James Gunn’s underrated monster flick Sinister, which had more than a few references to Cameron.
Fillion might have a reserved spot at any Comic Con he wishes to attend because of his geek-centric roles, but he’s also a fairly accomplished comedy star who got his star on sitcoms like Two Guys and A Girl, and later gave a memorable performance as Dogberry in Joss Whedon’s adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing. This may explain why another one of his most rewatched films is Groundhog Day, in which Bill Murray gives what may be the greatest comedic performance of his entire career.
It’s not that surprising that Fillion also picked The Shawshank Redemption as one of his favourites, as the 1994 Stephen King adaptation has become a consensus pick among many cinephiles. While it wasn’t a colossal box office hit when it was first released, The Shawshank Redemption found a second life in home video and cable television, and eventually became regarded as one of the best of all time. The film’s reputation has been tied to its status on IMDb, in which it has topped the list of best movies ever made for nearly two decades.
The Shawshank Redemption’s reemergence does mirror some aspects of Fillion’s career; both Frank Darabont’s drama film and Firefly were preserved by passionate fans who gradually spread the word about the stories that they loved.
The Shawshank Redemption has also received more recent attention because of the explosion of Stephen King adaptations that have been made in the last few years. Given how many King books and stories there are left to adapt, it’s a bit surprising that Fillion has yet to star in one.
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