Nathan Fillion Quotes & Sayings

I'm living in Los Angeles, I'm in films and I'm on television, and I'm working with actors and telling stories. I'm living the fantasy. My worst day is a great day. — Nathan Fillion

If I got $300 million from the California Lottery, the first thing I would do is buy the rights to 'Firefly', make it on my own, and distribute it on the Internet. — Nathan Fillion

'Castle' is a guy living in a fantasy world. He's in his imagination, writing these stories of murder. — Nathan Fillion

What I know of Steve Trevor is everything that I learned from 'Wonder Woman,' the television series with Lynda Carter. And I don't remember much. I do remember his uniform, though. — Nathan Fillion

I would cancel dialysis to be in the [hopefully upcoming Firefly] movie. — Nathan Fillion

Improv as an actor makes you present in the moment. You listen, you're attentive. You're not acting so much as reacting, which is what you're doing in life all the time. — Nathan Fillion

I've got a fantastic life. I enjoy what I do for a living. I see the blessings; I'm not blind. — Nathan Fillion

Do something today you've been afraid to do. A decision based on fear is the wrong decision. — Nathan Fillion

You want to put out a TV show? If you have the money to do it on your own, by yourself, and you have a TV network, you can do it by yourself. But the nature of the beast is, art needs finance. That's how this industry works. So until the Internet becomes our source of entertainment - and watch it, I believe it will - this is how things go. — Nathan Fillion

Working on 'Drive', a lot of fun. This is Tim Minear whom I've worked with before on 'Firefly' of course. He called me up and said, 'I've got a part for you that you will love,' and I love Tim's writing. I love his stories. I love his characters, his dialogue. He has a knack for reveals and he has a knack for moments. — Nathan Fillion

I've had a long line of failed television programs, pilots that were never picked up, series that didn't go very long. I've learned that there's really nothing you can do. If it's not in my control, I try not to worry about it. — Nathan Fillion

It's hard to shake a stick at success. — Nathan Fillion

And then there was Joss. I met him in a dimly lit office, where he regaled me with tales of adventure, swashbuckling, shootings, spaceships, and narrow escapes. Um, where do I sign? He gave me a new identity, a costume, a gun, and a long brown duster for a cape. I remember that meeting so well; it was like a superhero "origin" issue. I remember Joss looking at Polaroid photos of my first costume fitting, holding up the one with the duster and gun saying, "Action figure, anyone?"
Never in my wildest. Like some sort of super-team benefactor, Joss made superheroes out of all of us, complete with a super-hideout spaceship. During filming, we'd all retreat to our dressing room trailers and emerge like Supermen with our alter egos. The boots, the suspenders, gun holstered low on my hip ... with a flick and a spin of that wicked awesome coat over my shoulders, I became someone else. — Nathan Fillion

I think it's a dance that people want to see. It's a chemistry that people want to see. In the same way that people don't want to see a perfect hero with no flaws who can handle anything, people don't want to see a perfect relationship. There's nothing interesting about that. People want to see you fail. — Nathan Fillion

Thank God there is a such thing as hiatus. We got the first 'Dr. Horrible' done in six days, we banged it out. — Nathan Fillion

What draws me to roles, I think, are moments - moments that define character, where so much more of the story is told in just a moment - a look, a line, a short scene, but something that speaks a volume, something that speaks to me. — Nathan Fillion

I'll tell you what I really enjoy. We all go to the movies, we all watch television, we know what they're about, how they work. When the main character is a cop or a spy, it's very exciting, but I also very much enjoy when the main characters are nobodies - a trucker. — Nathan Fillion

I told myself a while back, 'Love what you do, but don't fall in love with what you do.' That way you won't be brokenhearted if ever it gets canceled five episodes in - which has happened to me. — Nathan Fillion

I had a Ford F-250. It was a big ol' farm truck, but it wasn't a rig. That's about the biggest I've ever driven. That's what I drove back and forth to high school. I was a poor guy, and it was a truck that my uncle owned and let me drive because I had no money. — Nathan Fillion

My brother used to say that when you deal with women, it's difficult to remove emotions from an argument. I never really knew what he meant. Then I read an article that said when it comes to emotion and logic, men's and women's brains are different - my brother was right! Women are very mysterious, but that's part of their joy. — Nathan Fillion

I don't have 4 or 5 projects in front of me and an offer on every one saying 'what one would you like to do?' Things come along one at a time. — Nathan Fillion

I have a cat. I'm not a cat-person, but she came with the house that I'm renting. I don't know how many hundreds of dollars worth of bump removals, teeth removals, cleanings and vet fees I've been through since then. But of course I love her and she's worth it. — Nathan Fillion

There are people who have energy that say 'don't come near me, don't get too close.' There's people like Adrienne Shelley who have the energy of 'come over here and give me a hug and if you're around me you're going to be happy about it.' — Nathan Fillion

Basically, after an ABC sitcom I did, I ended up with a holding deal with 20th Century Fox. Absolutely cool. It pays you to be unemployed. And the bigger the entity that gives you the deal, the better. — Nathan Fillion

The nature of the beast is, art needs finance. That's how this industry works. — Nathan Fillion

I was going to be a High School teacher. I was studying at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, up in Canada. I was also acting in a wonderfully supportive theatre community in Edmonton. There's a lot of support for theatre there. So, I was having a great time, but I didn't consider acting as a serious career initially, because even the most successful actors that I know in Edmonton are not super successful. Acting over there is just not a success-oriented career. — Nathan Fillion

I kind of fell backwards into acting. I was studying to be a high school teacher. I look now and I understand completely, or actually barely, how much work it is to be a teacher. It's an incredible amount of work. — Nathan Fillion

It costs nothing to say something kind. Even less to shut up altogether. — Nathan Fillion

I have jobs that I've preferred more than others simply because I've gotten to meet and make friends with great people. I've pulled at least one very close friend from every project I've done. — Nathan Fillion

I slowly came to realize that this job of being an actor, you spend most of your time looking for work. That is your job. Your job is auditioning. You spend very little of your time actually working. — Nathan Fillion

I still buy actual books. The smell, having it in your hands - there's really no substitute. — Nathan Fillion

I remember when TiVO first came out I was all about TiVo. I came home and that thing was frozen, and I thought 'This is awful. This is the end of the world'. Then I unplugged it, and I plugged it back in, and still frozen. It was paralyzing. I called them. They said, 'Just unplug it longer.' Fixed. But it also taught me I'm an addict. — Nathan Fillion

I'll never look down on and I love running into actors who say 'Oh yeah, I did a soap.' I say 'Tell me which one!' It's like being a member of a secret society. — Nathan Fillion

I'm a plethora of stolen jokes and kitschy references. — Nathan Fillion

The Incredibles was the best movie ever made. Ever. Made. BSTL. — Nathan Fillion

You can't embarrass Joss Whedon, he's got no pride! He fully admits it. 'Oh, it's me. I'm little and goofy.' You can't wound his pride. He's too self-deprecating. — Nathan Fillion

My job changes very little because I've found that the more you try to be funny, the less funny you become. — Nathan Fillion

I tried my hand at writing, I tried to write out a little script - and it's not too bad. Mostly, though, it let me understand how incredibly difficult that job is. I can't even imagine doing it on a weekly basis for a series in any way. That's tough. I think I'll try to leave that to smarter people than me. — Nathan Fillion

No one wants to see a person on TV who's super-ultra-cool. That's Superman, that's a thing of the past. Heroes are now flawed, and have terrible tempers, you know? They're real people. — Nathan Fillion

I'm not a big prop actor. — Nathan Fillion

It's a thrill to be a fan amongst fans. — Nathan Fillion

Somebody once said that you can never act and be another person; you're only acting facets of yourself. I think there's a lot of truth in that. — Nathan Fillion

When people embrace character, there's latzie. It's the stuffing of a scene that's not written. It's not in the stage direction and it's not in the words. When people embrace character, it informs their living, breathing moments in a scene so well. — Nathan Fillion

My guiltiest pleasure? 'Untamed & Uncut'. Videos of people being attacked by animals. Yeah. I don't know why. I just love seeing guys who say, 'I'm gonna stick my hand in that crocodile's mouth and see what happens.' And then it snaps down on them. There you go - that's what you get! It's a wild animal, my friend. — Nathan Fillion

It's so great in Hollywood now. You have people past 40 sitting and talking about serious stuff, writing and making movies and TV, but there's laser pistols and superheroes and alien monsters involved. It's viable and mainstream. — Nathan Fillion

MEN WALK ON THE MOON. To me, this speaks of a time when America wasn't just about the almighty buck. The Russians had put up Sputnik, and the U.S. would not be outdone. I admire that about the American spirit. There's only one spot in history for the first ever of anything. — Nathan Fillion

I love hiking in the hills not far from my house. I'm invested in my hikes. Sometimes kids go up there and spray-paint over the signs; I've found a biodegradable paint cleaner, and I'll scrub the signs so they're nice and clean. — Nathan Fillion

My first Comic-Con was when I first met Joss Whedon: He introduced me to that world and I'd never been to a convention before that. He and a bunch of the 'Buffy' and 'Angel' writers were all going down in a big van and he invited me along. — Nathan Fillion

I've always noticed a difference between working with a director and working with a writer/director. In how much they're invested and how specific they are. — Nathan Fillion

Karaoke is something that's near and dear and very close to my heart. I was a karaoke host when I was working my way through university. I was a full-time student and karaoke was my night job. — Nathan Fillion

It's a trap I've fallen into earlier in my career - trying to be liked. Don't do it. When I watch TV and I see someone trying to make me like them, acting cute or quirky or goofy, I'm not impressed. Don't act like America's watching you. Just latch onto your character. Characters are flawed. Be unlikeable. Be flawed. Be a person. — Nathan Fillion

I'm the biggest geek of all. Adventure, fantasy, comic books - I can't get enough. — Nathan Fillion

I was a huge comic book fan as a kid. The only problem I had with comic books is how expensive they got. I didn't have a lot of money, so I had to be very specific about what I wanted to collect. I think they're all somewhere in the basement of my folks' house. — Nathan Fillion

I think I've been really good at surrounding myself with really talented people. I've picked the right coattails to ride on. — Nathan Fillion

You have a dramatic portion of your television program and you treat it dramatically, and then you have a comedic portion of your program, and you treat it differently. Why do you change who are between the two pieces? You're the same person. Just go. — Nathan Fillion

I had an Indiana Jones fedora that I loved. I don't know what happened to it. I don't know where it went. Wish I had it back. Whoever's got it, you suck. — Nathan Fillion

I like to say there's certain things you can't take back: One of them is 'I love you,' and one of them is bullets. — Nathan Fillion

I think my printing to this day looks like the printing right out of a comic book. Actually, I always wanted to be in a comic book. I watched cartoons when I was a kid, too, and both comics and cartoons lit fire in my imagination. This realm holds a lot of interest for me, a lot of passion for me. So to be comic-ized, yeah, that's cool. — Nathan Fillion

There's comedy even in tragedy. There's comedy in life. And in 'Castle', we go for that comedy. — Nathan Fillion

You know, Castle's the kind of guy that when he meets somebody, that's a connection for him. He remains connected to the people that he meets. That's the kind of guy he is, be they criminals, gangster rappers, mafia guys, art thieves, whoever it is, he nurtures those relationships. — Nathan Fillion

I always wanted to be an actor, but in Edmonton, Alberta, that's not a success-oriented career. So I said, 'I'll get my (teaching) degree and then I'll see what happens, but I'll always have that to fall back on.' So if anybody were to look at me and say, 'Oh, you're an actor,' I could always say, 'Hey man, I'm a teacher!' — Nathan Fillion

I think about my own daily choices every day in terms of how to find happiness. — Nathan Fillion

In all my characters, I try to find an iota of myself, and in Castle, I found a lot. He gets away with a lot, so that's fun. — Nathan Fillion

I have found the secret, you see. To become a superhero, all you have to do is want it badly enough, and comics are the fuel to that fire. — Nathan Fillion

I'm the one who often makes the 'Murder, She Wrote' reference, and ABC hates that, they don't want me to do that. And I say that having never actually watched 'Murder, She Wrote'. I think people have been trying to compare it to crime shows that are on right now, and all I can do is listen. I don't watch a lot of TV. — Nathan Fillion

The trick is, when you grow up, find work that feels like play. — Nathan Fillion

Being in the industry, I've seen many situations where someone will get the call from the network where they say 'You guys have 5 episodes to wrap it up.' Then all your long-term story arcs gotta get wrapped up in five episodes because that's how many episodes you got left. I would hate to see that happen to 'Castle'. — Nathan Fillion

I relate to those characters - and any character I play - in as much as I put myself in their positions and feel how I would personally deal with their experiences. — Nathan Fillion

When you work on a soap opera, that's three years of you working every day. There was no time to do anything other than the soap opera - you're locked in. — Nathan Fillion

I'm comfortable only when there's a mutual attraction. That's what anyone wants. If I find out she's not attracted to me, it brings down my level of attraction to her. If I'm interested and find out she's not, I tend to cool off. — Nathan Fillion

I live in Los Angeles and I like to do a lot of hiking. I live a very relaxed life. — Nathan Fillion

I'm the kind of guy who, I need a watch that tells me what day it is. I need to know it's Friday on my watch. I need to look at it and go, 'Friday today.' Tomorrow I will not know it's Saturday until I look at my watch. My watchband broke, I was crippled. I have no concept of time, I have no concept of dates. — Nathan Fillion

I've always fantasized about being on TV. And I was. Then I fantasized about being in the movies. What could be better than captain of a space ship? I get to ride horses, shoot guns, have adventures. — Nathan Fillion

I enjoy the art, and I enjoy drawing. I think my printing to this day looks like the printing right out of a comic book. — Nathan Fillion

'Desperate Housewives' is an ensemble cast, where I played a tertiary character. I made a lot of great friends, but that show didn't keep me very busy. — Nathan Fillion

Oh, boy. I'm still in touch with about 90 percent of my exes. They would describe me as being unlucky in love. — Nathan Fillion

When I go to a sci-fi convention, oh God, it's the closest thing to being a rock star I will ever know in this life. I want to be a rock star, don't you? It's a good thing to be, a rock star. — Nathan Fillion

When I was very young, before I could read, I remember being very interested in comic books. — Nathan Fillion

'Castle' isn't really affected emotionally by murder. He's thrilled about, 'Oh, my God, I wonder how this happened?' — Nathan Fillion

I have a lightsaber at my front door for home protection. I have an 800-watt electric skateboard that I use to run errands in my neighborhood. It can go about six, seven miles, so depending on how much time I have, and how much I have to carry home, I'll take it really far. I love that thing. — Nathan Fillion

I'm fortunate enough that every job I do seems to be, at the very least, teaching me something fantastic. I make new friends. I work with talented people. And each project and experience seems to be better than the last. I seem to be topping myself all the time. I think to myself: "It can't get better, it can't get better ... " And then something happens that makes me feel like I'm truly richer for the experience. — Nathan Fillion

I love 'Strange Brew'. I quote that movie all the time, and no one knows what I'm talking about. — Nathan Fillion

I was shy. I was painfully shy, until fifth grade when I transferred to another school and befriended the class clown. And one day he was sick and I kinda stepped in for the class clown and I said, 'Wow, this is exciting, I'm a little bit nervous.' — Nathan Fillion

What turned me on to comedy was - well, first of all, I like being able to laugh, I like people who can make me laugh. — Nathan Fillion

I don't expect anybody to know who I am. — Nathan Fillion

I'm not a famous celebrity of any kind. I'm a guy from Edmonton who's got a great job and I'm loving it. — Nathan Fillion

I think maybe, if I could be a Canadian super hero, I'd have some kind of freezing power and some sort of maple syrup weapon. Could be a little sticky. — Nathan Fillion

I tell you, 'Firefly'? Best job I ever had. Heartbroken when it was canceled, but had it not been canceled, I never would have gotten 'Serenity'. I think 'Serenity' is the most incredible thing I've ever been able to actually get my hands on and do. I can't even tell you how much love I have for that project. — Nathan Fillion

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. — Nathan Fillion

I consider 'Dr. Horrible' a tremendous success. The fact that it won an Emmy I just think lends validity to what we were doing and the point we were trying to make: taking the power into someone else's hands and changing the world. — Nathan Fillion

Somebody told me long ago that in acting, it's okay to steal, just steal from the best. — Nathan Fillion

My brain is like a hard drive. Once you start adding new information, you start cutting off old information. — Nathan Fillion

I think TV has been a little bit irresponsible in how they portray these people because homicide detectives are not brooding, tortured souls who are stained with the stink of the city and who have blood on their hands. They are real, live people that are incredibly entertaining. — Nathan Fillion

BAM said the Lady, move on — Nathan Fillion

I'm constantly pitching one episode where we see life through Castle's eyes. I think Castle's just a little off as far as his perception goes. A very, very clever man, but I want to see the world as Castle sees it - kind of a rose-colored glasses, all the women find him irresistible, all the guys find him super cool and do whatever he says. — Nathan Fillion

The wooden shelves were tall and packed with worn covers of books read many times over. Pages were yellowed and paperbacks had arched spines like old sway-backed horses. It was an old folks' home for secondhand books, with that smell of old newsprint and slightly musty wood smell. — Nathan Fillion

I am one of the lucky few who is successful in their career, and I'm really enjoying myself. — Nathan Fillion

I don't spend a lot of time online. My mother's really good at picking out if she sees a really great review, and she'll forward it to me. She's like my little Internet filter. It's always nice to see something going up; if I want to find something on Nathan Fillion, I do know where to look, but I've got a nice little delivery system in my mom. — Nathan Fillion

I want my job to include a little adventure, a little more of a heightened reality than what I'm actually living. And 'Castle' has that. He gets this opportunity to tail these homicide detectives, and he's driven by that. He's a little immature, but he's obviously loving life. — Nathan Fillion

I want to be a working actor; I want to do jobs that excite me and challenge me, and I want to something fun. — Nathan Fillion