Hot Nerd Mancrush #3: Nathan Fillion
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Now those are the biceps...sorry, acting ability. I meant acting ability of a real man!
As far as mancrushes go, this one’s a doozy. Why, you ask? Well, Firefly is one of my favorite shows of all time. A big, big part of that was the Captain, Malcolm Reynolds, his fall from grace, and his handling of his very hectic lifestyle with a dark humor. While I know that part was written with someone else in mind, I can’t see anyone but Nathan Fillion in the part. Then I got to thinking about it. I can’t see anyone other than Nathan Fillion in all of his parts.
I first noticed Mr. Fillion on Two Guys and a Girl, where he was stealing scenes from Ryan Reynolds. I’ll say that again…HE STOLE SCENES FROM RYAN REYNOLDS. Ryan Reynolds has been known to steal entire films from bigger stars, and yet he couldn’t hold his ground against Nathan Fillion as Johnny, the jukebox repairman, later building manager who managed to steal Traylor Howard’s heart. After that, it seemed like he was in almost every movie I watched. He was in Saving Private Ryan, he was in Blast From the Past (playing a cheeseball douchebag…He’s good at that, you’ve noticed?). Come to find out, that of course he was in these movies before Two Guys and a Girl…you just didn’t really notice him. He blended in, which is what the best character actors do. But Nathan was built for better things.
Those pants are really, really tight!
As Malcolm Reynolds on Firefly and Serenity, Nathan Fillion showed the world the he was a leading actor to contend with, but he showed us something else as well. He was gracious to his fans, he seemed to love going to conventions, and his mother confirmed that Nathan Fillion, is, in fact, a huge nerd. He’s one of us! And, he doesn’t shy away from it. He hangs it out for all of us to see. After the cruel injustice that was the cancellation of Firefly, Nathan turned up as creepy, seemingly indestructible preacher Caleb in the last season of Buffy (he had auditioned for the role of Angel when the show started). After Firefly, it seemed, his fuse was lit, and soon he would be a household name, not just to nerds and dorks (and the occasional housefrau…he was a soap actor, after all), but to everyone!
He was in Waitress, a sharp, witty, dark, little amazing film. He IS Bill Pardy, the sherriff with the unusually large bowel movements from Slither, and, he was cruelly ripped from the world of television again when Fox decided to pull the plug on yet another great Tim Minear show, Drive. And, of course, the day needed his saving expertise as Captain Hammer, the singing cheeseball that thwarts the best laid plans of Dr. Horrible with car throwing. (As I’ve gushed over Dr. Horrible enough, I’ll not do it here…but, see Dr. Horrible the first chance you get.) He was the voice of Vigilante on Justice League Unlimited, as well as Steve Trevor in the Wonder Woman movie that debuted last year, and he brings to his voice work the same comedic touches that he does to his live action roles…Look at Halo 3, where he plays Sgt. Reynolds. That’s just too funny to me! (He returns in Halo 3: ODST, by the way.)
Cheese has never looked better!
Right now, as of this writing, Nathan Fillion has his hands full playing Rick Castle on ABC’s Castle. He plays the part of a mystery writer who tags along with the cops to help solve some crimes and get some inspiration for further books. Trust me when I say that this show does not work without Nathan Fillion in it.
He’s a beautiful man, he’s a great actor and philanthropist (Kids Need To Read, as Nathan has pointed out.) And, he’s taken my picture more than once! That’s right, I’ve met Nathan Fillion. And, to make you even more jealous, I shook his hand. That’s right…I’ve touched Nathan Fillion! At Dragon Con, he snapped a picture of my two Horrible groupies (I was trying to get in frame, but I was drunk, and that Dr. Horrible costume is a bitch!), and again, when I went to get his autograph, he liked my Seymour Krelborn costume so much that snapped a picture of it! Wheee!
Alex Tully, Captain Hammer, Johnny, Mal Reynolds, Caleb, Rick Castle….I love you all!!! (And, yes, I’ll post the link to the Castle episode where he dressed like a Space Cowboy…How could I not. It was just so great to see him back in the Malcolm Reynolds costume!)
(And, of note for me, Nathan Fillion was in the Firefly panel that I proposed to my girlfriend at. So, he was there when I asked ThatCostumeGirl to marry me. He just doesn’t know it. Also, if anyone out there is considering making a WKRP movie…Nathan Fillion IS Andy the program director…got that?)
Posted on October 30th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Nathan could do Gary Sandy justice in that role. It feels right.