Posted in: TV | Tagged: firefly, joss whedon, nathan fillion, The Rookie

Firefly 20th Anniv: Nathan Fillion Thanks Joss Whedon, Cast & Fans

Though it would initially run for only a single season of 14 (often aired out of order) episodes on FOX in 2002, Joss Whedon's Firefly would go on to become one of the most beloved sci-fi series in television history. Focusing on the adventures of Nathan Fillion's (The Rookie) Serenity Capt. Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds & his renegade crew in 2517, the series boasted an impressive line-up of actors that included Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, and Ron Glass. And with today being the 20th anniversary of the series premiere, Fillion has taken to social media to thank Whedon, his castmates & fans for all of their love & support over the years while also expressing just how much his time on the series meant to him personally and professionally.

"Has it already been 20 years? I've talked a lot about 'Firefly' in my time, answered a lot of questions about it, and yet, still, I don't have the right words to honor it. As a learning experience, nothing has taught me as much about my craft and the industry. As for my career, nothing has given me as solid a foundation. And as for love, I never knew how much love a little tv project could bring to my life. To the cast- thank you. You have no idea how much you mean to me," Fillion wrote as the caption to his Instagram post celebrating the show's anniversary. "To Joss- in 20 years, I've still not found a way to express what you've done for me. To the fans- without you, space is vast, cold, and empty. With you, space becomes a home for all of us, and there's no place I'd rather be. To those of you who have never seen Firefly, we'll see you soon enough. Happy Anniversary, all."

Back in June, Fillion was a guest on Michael Rosenbaum's Inside of You podcast, where he covered a ton of ground, from his career in several familiar series and aspects of his personal life to where he sees himself post-Hollywood. There's also a point where Fillion discussed the possibility of a Firefly return. In the following clip, Rosenbaum asked Fillion how it would feel about a Firefly return without Whedon involved. "Heartbreaking," the actor responded, followed by, "How can you?" From there, Fillion said he read the Whedon article and the reports surrounding the issues on Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel (which were chronicled in Evan Ross Katz's book, Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts).

"That was not my experience with the man," Fillion responded. From there, Rosenbaum asked Fillion to describe the Whedon he knew: "funny," "self-deprecating," "incredibly talented," and "maybe a little haunted" were his responses before adding that he respected Whedon seeing himself as a "work in progress." As for working with Whedon again, whether it's on Firefly or another project, Fillion didn't hesitate, saying, "I would work with Joss [Whedon] again in a second," and then re-emphasized with, "I would work with him [Joss Whedon] in a second." Fillion also shared that he and Whedon speak, with Fillion looking to choose his words wisely to not give out any misinformation or false hope. And then the clip wraps with Fillion discussing how it felt when the series got the ax so soon- check it out here:

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