Nathan Fillion speaks on if he’d still work with Joss Whedon

If you’re my mom, you first discovered Nathan Fillion on the soap opera One Life to Live but if you’re me, Nathan Fillion began getting noticed when he stepped into the Whedonverse on Joss Whedon’s cult sci-fi series, Firefly. The show was short-lived, lasting only one season after premiering in 2002 but it developed a very passionate fanbase. The fan response was so strong that it spawned a film in 2005 called Serenity, written and directed by Whedon and once again starring Fillion as Mal. In the years since the film’s release, Whedon’s reputation has been stained by accusations of on-set abuse from people who have worked with him in the past and it has essentially canceled the once-popular writer and director. For those clamoring for more Firefly content, would Fillion work with Whedon again despite the backlash? The actor is now giving his two cents on the matter.

During a recent chat on the Inside of You podcast with former Smallville star Michael Rosenbaum, the topic of a Firefly reboot was brought up. Fillion expressed emphatically that he would return but Rosenbaum then throws in the wrench of Whedon’s recent controversies, asking if he would still work with the director again based on the allegations. Fillion goes on to clarify that he has never had a negative experience with Whedon, who he describes as “funny, self-deprecating, incredibly talented…maybe a little haunted.” From there, he says he would work with Whedon again in a second. You can check out the clip below where Fillion, despite saying he would work with him again, does tread a bit lightly on the topic.

It’s very possible that Fillion had a completely positive working relationship with Joss Whedon because everyone’s experience is not going to necessarily be the same. That’s not to say that Firefly was reportedly free of Whedon’s alleged questionable behavior. An anonymous writer on Firefly publicly called Whedon out for humiliating another writer for what he considered a poor script. The assertion did a lot to verify writer Jose Molina’s claim about Whedon taking pleasure in making female writers cry from the year prior. It should be noted, that the issues on Firefly seemed to be contained behind the scenes and in the writer’s room so that would be something Fillion would likely never see as the lead of the series.

I will also give Fillion credit for not diminishing those who accused Whedon or denied their allegations. He spoke about his experience with him and left it at that. Another key factor as to why Fillion never received some of Whedon’s unprofessional behavior is because, with the very public exception of Justice League’s Ray Fisher, most of the director’s purported unprofessional behavior has been toward women. Justice League’s Gal Gadot and Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel actress, Charisma Carpenter, were some of the higher-profile female talents that recounted their abusive and misogynistic experiences with Whedon.

What are YOUR thoughts on Nathan Fillion saying he would work with Joss Whedon again?