Nathan Fillion, The Sarah Conner Chronicles Crew....
~Nathan Fillion still
Nathan Fillion takes the EW Pop Culture Personality Test
There comes a time in every blogger's life when she's asked to interview someone she's had some fun writing about, and the decision must be made: Do I own the fact that I've said this man makes me want to procreate, or do I not? Because I'm professional (really), I decided that Nathan Fillion need not hear about that last Friday, when ABC offered me a few minutes on the phone with him during a tightly-scheduled satellite press tour to promote Castle (Mondays, 10 p.m. ET). But then, he started the conversation by acknowledging that EW.com has been "so kind to Castle and to myself," and I laughed. Longer than that time I met David Boreanaz for a sit-down and he asked "Where do you want me?". I felt the need to explain...
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So have you read any of my items on PopWatch, our blog?
NATHAN FILLION: My mother is my Google Alert lady, so if it's got "Nathan Fillion" or "Castle" in it, she always gets the article and forwards it to me. I've read a number of things from EW.com, but I don't know if any were yours in particular. But if it was EW.com, I'm sure I read it, so yes, actually. The answer is yes. You are lovely, and quickly becoming my favorite.
I wrote the one about how Castle is making my clock tick because I love the relationship between him and his daughter.
Nathan: I did read that, and I forwarded that to Molly [Quinn], who plays my daughter. She's fantastic. I've got to tell you something: I was sitting in on all those auditions. I was one of the first people cast on Castle, so I said, "I'll sit and read." You want someone to walk in the room and just light it on fire, and that was Molly. She was completely confident, and relaxed, and listened to you and connected. Just so appropriate and perfect for the role. So perfect. And so clever. Too clever. Matter of fact, I don't like her anymore. I've just decided.
Did the two of you do anything special to bond?
Nathan: [Laughs] She'll tell you it's the absolute truth: I'm terrible to her. I'll get a text from her saying, "Hey, I saw the last episode. It was great. Blah, blah, blah..." And I'll say, "Yes, it was fantastic. Oh by the way, I just heard you're fired." I'll always do that. And I always tell her, "I'm toughening you up for real life, for the real world out there. You're the little sister I never had...or wanted." She's old enough to be my daughter. Maybe I'll start saying that...
What I was hoping to do with you was an abridged EW Pop Culture Personality Test.
Nathan: It's a test? I was told there would be no math, Mandi.
You'll do fine. When do you yell at the TV?
Nathan:If I laugh out loud, I will yell at the TV. It takes a lot to make me laugh out loud. I can chuckle to myself, but if it's out loud it's Dirty Jobs, The Office, 30 Rock, and Saturday Night Live.
Your worst TiVo or DVR mishap?
Nathan: I remember when TiVO first came out [moans], 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. I'm addicted to television. I got two TVs in my house, and there's only one of me.
And you have two TiVos or DVRs?
Nathan: [Softly] Yes. Not proud.*
Did you ever write a fan letter to anyone when you were young? If so, who?
Nathan: [Laughs] I did a soap opera [One Life to Live], one of my first jobs, and I would write fan letters to friends on my show like I was some kind of deranged oddball. Not dangerous, just odd. I'm a righty, so I would make sure to write it with my left hand. And I signed up for one of my friends' fan club, too, so I got a membership card. (dawnybee: And with this I am hopelessly in love with Nathan.)
The piece of pop culture memorabilia from your childhood that you wish you still had?
Nathan: 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.
You just graced the cover of Geek Monthly. What is your geekiest possession?
Nathan: Some might say "geeky." I might say "super-duper cool."
Oh, I mean it as a term of affection.
Nathan: Thank you. 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. I'm lost without my iPhone. I love it. I can't wait for 3.0. Hee-hee!
What is your position on karaoke? And what is your song?
Nathan: 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. I had a couple of songs that I would start the night off with that were very easy to sing, such as "King of the Road" and "What I Like About You." But my song was Bobby Darin's "Beyond the Sea." Amazing. [Makes wistful sound of a single tear falling down his cheek.]
The movie you have to watch every time you spot it on cable?
Nathan: Aliens, Groundhog Day, The Shawshank Redemption to name a few.
The person or band you've seen most often in concert?
I've seen Bob Schneider a lot. Look him up. You will be very, very pleased. Martin Sexton, also kind of a cultish following. A little more popular: Counting Crows. I've been to a lot of Counting Crows concerts. There's actually one of their videos, I think it's "Angels of the Silences," if you pause it, you'll see two big guys jumping in the front row of the concert. That's me and my friend Tony Moore going crazy. So we got into the video. Woohoo! And then, Jason Mraz I've been seeing a lot lately. A friend of mine is his saxophone player, Carlos. He always gets me tickets. Thanks, Carlos.
~Another interview I enjoyed was Brian Austin Green’s interview with IESB. He doesn’t talk about “The Sarah Conner Chronicles” but he gets his fanboy on with other topics and proudly declares that “The Green Lantern” is “the shit”. Brian Austin Green is the shit.
~Summer Glau of “TSCC” in a photoshoot
~The trailer for the “Fame” redo is up, but no Thomas Dekker in sight. So I have to entertain myself in watching this clip of Dekker on “7th Heaven”.
I think I see sequins and rainbows coming out of his mouth
~When subtext threatens to become text. It looks like Chris Pine and Zach Quinto are trying to ensure that the Kirk/Spock pairing continues by being jogging buddies.
Why the women’s yoga pants, Sylar?
The cast at the Sydney premiere
Yes, Karl Urban you will now have to spend your life doing the “Live Long and Prosper” sign
~Kal Penn is on a new, incredible career path.
KAL PENN: I was incredibly honored a couple of months ago to get the opportunity to go work in the White House. I got to know the President and some of the staff during the campaign and had expressed interest in working there, so I'm going to be the associate director in the White House office of public liaison. They do outreach with the American public and with different organizations. They're basically the front door of the White House. They take out all of the red tape that falls between the general public and the White House. It's similar to what I was doing on the campaign.
Will you actually be working in the White House?
PENN: This particular office is in the executive building. The White House has two buildings: the actual White House and an old Navy building called the Old Executive Office.
Are you there as long as Obama's in office?
PENN: A lot of that stuff is up in the air. This is a relatively recent development.
Safe to say you're taking a huge pay cut?
PENN: Oh, yeah. There's not a lot of financial reward in these jobs. But, obviously, the opportunity to serve in a capacity like this is an incredible honor.
How long has this been in the works?
PENN: I've been thinking about [moving into politics] for a while. I love what I do as an actor. I couldn't love it more. But probably from the time I was a kid, I really enjoyed that balance
between the arts and public service. I went to a performing arts high school, but I still took a bunch of those dorky political science classes. It's probably because of the value system my grandparents instilled in me. They marched with Gandhi in the Indian independence movement, and that was always in the back of my head. So the past couple of years I thought about it a little more. And in '06 I started this international studies program at Stanford, where they actually let you do most of the course work online. So it was something I could do while I was acting. And I thought this might be the right time to go off and do something else. The ultimate irony, of course, is that I love being on House. There's not a smarter group of people that I've been surrounded by in television. So I thought about it for a very long time before I went and talked to David and Katie.
What was that conversation like?
PENN: We had a very long discussion. And I remember David saying, "Are you telling me that you're unhappy with the show and that you want to leave so you can go off and do a different show?" And I was like, "Not at all. I'm actually saying the exact opposite, which is I'm having an incredible time, but there's something aching in me to do something completely different and take a break from the acting thing for a while." And with their blessing, we were able to work it out.
Are you retiring from acting?
PENN: Not necessarily. Who's to say where any path leads? I still have a passion for it. But for the time being, I won't be acting.
**dawnybee: I can only hope that he gives Brandon Routh a tour of the White House. I think this is stupendous for him. I love politically minded people and throughout the last elections he was such a force of support for the Obama campaign. This is perfect for him.
And to show that not only “Kumar” is politically minded, here’s a clip from a few months ago of “Harold”, John Cho speaking out in support of gay marriage.
~Run DMC was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
I wish Jam Master Jay could’ve been there
Nathan Fillion takes the EW Pop Culture Personality Test
There comes a time in every blogger's life when she's asked to interview someone she's had some fun writing about, and the decision must be made: Do I own the fact that I've said this man makes me want to procreate, or do I not? Because I'm professional (really), I decided that Nathan Fillion need not hear about that last Friday, when ABC offered me a few minutes on the phone with him during a tightly-scheduled satellite press tour to promote Castle (Mondays, 10 p.m. ET). But then, he started the conversation by acknowledging that EW.com has been "so kind to Castle and to myself," and I laughed. Longer than that time I met David Boreanaz for a sit-down and he asked "Where do you want me?". I felt the need to explain...
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So have you read any of my items on PopWatch, our blog?
NATHAN FILLION: My mother is my Google Alert lady, so if it's got "Nathan Fillion" or "Castle" in it, she always gets the article and forwards it to me. I've read a number of things from EW.com, but I don't know if any were yours in particular. But if it was EW.com, I'm sure I read it, so yes, actually. The answer is yes. You are lovely, and quickly becoming my favorite.
I wrote the one about how Castle is making my clock tick because I love the relationship between him and his daughter.
Nathan: I did read that, and I forwarded that to Molly [Quinn], who plays my daughter. She's fantastic. I've got to tell you something: I was sitting in on all those auditions. I was one of the first people cast on Castle, so I said, "I'll sit and read." You want someone to walk in the room and just light it on fire, and that was Molly. She was completely confident, and relaxed, and listened to you and connected. Just so appropriate and perfect for the role. So perfect. And so clever. Too clever. Matter of fact, I don't like her anymore. I've just decided.
Did the two of you do anything special to bond?
Nathan: [Laughs] She'll tell you it's the absolute truth: I'm terrible to her. I'll get a text from her saying, "Hey, I saw the last episode. It was great. Blah, blah, blah..." And I'll say, "Yes, it was fantastic. Oh by the way, I just heard you're fired." I'll always do that. And I always tell her, "I'm toughening you up for real life, for the real world out there. You're the little sister I never had...or wanted." She's old enough to be my daughter. Maybe I'll start saying that...
What I was hoping to do with you was an abridged EW Pop Culture Personality Test.
Nathan: It's a test? I was told there would be no math, Mandi.
You'll do fine. When do you yell at the TV?
Nathan:If I laugh out loud, I will yell at the TV. It takes a lot to make me laugh out loud. I can chuckle to myself, but if it's out loud it's Dirty Jobs, The Office, 30 Rock, and Saturday Night Live.
Your worst TiVo or DVR mishap?
Nathan: I remember when TiVO first came out [moans], 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. I'm addicted to television. I got two TVs in my house, and there's only one of me.
And you have two TiVos or DVRs?
Nathan: [Softly] Yes. Not proud.*
Did you ever write a fan letter to anyone when you were young? If so, who?
Nathan: [Laughs] I did a soap opera [One Life to Live], one of my first jobs, and I would write fan letters to friends on my show like I was some kind of deranged oddball. Not dangerous, just odd. I'm a righty, so I would make sure to write it with my left hand. And I signed up for one of my friends' fan club, too, so I got a membership card. (dawnybee: And with this I am hopelessly in love with Nathan.)
The piece of pop culture memorabilia from your childhood that you wish you still had?
Nathan: 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.
You just graced the cover of Geek Monthly. What is your geekiest possession?
Nathan: Some might say "geeky." I might say "super-duper cool."
Oh, I mean it as a term of affection.
Nathan: Thank you. 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. I'm lost without my iPhone. I love it. I can't wait for 3.0. Hee-hee!
What is your position on karaoke? And what is your song?
Nathan: 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. I had a couple of songs that I would start the night off with that were very easy to sing, such as "King of the Road" and "What I Like About You." But my song was Bobby Darin's "Beyond the Sea." Amazing. [Makes wistful sound of a single tear falling down his cheek.]
The movie you have to watch every time you spot it on cable?
Nathan: Aliens, Groundhog Day, The Shawshank Redemption to name a few.
The person or band you've seen most often in concert?
I've seen Bob Schneider a lot. Look him up. You will be very, very pleased. Martin Sexton, also kind of a cultish following. A little more popular: Counting Crows. I've been to a lot of Counting Crows concerts. There's actually one of their videos, I think it's "Angels of the Silences," if you pause it, you'll see two big guys jumping in the front row of the concert. That's me and my friend Tony Moore going crazy. So we got into the video. Woohoo! And then, Jason Mraz I've been seeing a lot lately. A friend of mine is his saxophone player, Carlos. He always gets me tickets. Thanks, Carlos.
~Another interview I enjoyed was Brian Austin Green’s interview with IESB. He doesn’t talk about “The Sarah Conner Chronicles” but he gets his fanboy on with other topics and proudly declares that “The Green Lantern” is “the shit”. Brian Austin Green is the shit.
~Summer Glau of “TSCC” in a photoshoot
~The trailer for the “Fame” redo is up, but no Thomas Dekker in sight. So I have to entertain myself in watching this clip of Dekker on “7th Heaven”.
I think I see sequins and rainbows coming out of his mouth
Click to view~When subtext threatens to become text. It looks like Chris Pine and Zach Quinto are trying to ensure that the Kirk/Spock pairing continues by being jogging buddies.
Why the women’s yoga pants, Sylar?
The cast at the Sydney premiere
Yes, Karl Urban you will now have to spend your life doing the “Live Long and Prosper” sign
~Kal Penn is on a new, incredible career path.
KAL PENN: I was incredibly honored a couple of months ago to get the opportunity to go work in the White House. I got to know the President and some of the staff during the campaign and had expressed interest in working there, so I'm going to be the associate director in the White House office of public liaison. They do outreach with the American public and with different organizations. They're basically the front door of the White House. They take out all of the red tape that falls between the general public and the White House. It's similar to what I was doing on the campaign.
Will you actually be working in the White House?
PENN: This particular office is in the executive building. The White House has two buildings: the actual White House and an old Navy building called the Old Executive Office.
Are you there as long as Obama's in office?
PENN: A lot of that stuff is up in the air. This is a relatively recent development.
Safe to say you're taking a huge pay cut?
PENN: Oh, yeah. There's not a lot of financial reward in these jobs. But, obviously, the opportunity to serve in a capacity like this is an incredible honor.
How long has this been in the works?
PENN: I've been thinking about [moving into politics] for a while. I love what I do as an actor. I couldn't love it more. But probably from the time I was a kid, I really enjoyed that balance
between the arts and public service. I went to a performing arts high school, but I still took a bunch of those dorky political science classes. It's probably because of the value system my grandparents instilled in me. They marched with Gandhi in the Indian independence movement, and that was always in the back of my head. So the past couple of years I thought about it a little more. And in '06 I started this international studies program at Stanford, where they actually let you do most of the course work online. So it was something I could do while I was acting. And I thought this might be the right time to go off and do something else. The ultimate irony, of course, is that I love being on House. There's not a smarter group of people that I've been surrounded by in television. So I thought about it for a very long time before I went and talked to David and Katie.
What was that conversation like?
PENN: We had a very long discussion. And I remember David saying, "Are you telling me that you're unhappy with the show and that you want to leave so you can go off and do a different show?" And I was like, "Not at all. I'm actually saying the exact opposite, which is I'm having an incredible time, but there's something aching in me to do something completely different and take a break from the acting thing for a while." And with their blessing, we were able to work it out.
Are you retiring from acting?
PENN: Not necessarily. Who's to say where any path leads? I still have a passion for it. But for the time being, I won't be acting.
**dawnybee: I can only hope that he gives Brandon Routh a tour of the White House. I think this is stupendous for him. I love politically minded people and throughout the last elections he was such a force of support for the Obama campaign. This is perfect for him.
And to show that not only “Kumar” is politically minded, here’s a clip from a few months ago of “Harold”, John Cho speaking out in support of gay marriage.
~Run DMC was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
I wish Jam Master Jay could’ve been there
