Filmmaker Joss Whedon has been stirring controversy for years, but Nathan Fillion continues to stand by him. Along with starring in Firefly, Fillion has collaborated with Whedon on Much Ado About Nothing, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There has been some chatter of a Firefly reboot happening, but if Whedon were to be involved, that wouldn't be an issue for Fillion, despite the negative publicity Whedon has garnered in recent years.
In a new interview with Michael Rosenbaum for the Inside of You podcast (per Variety), Fillion spoke about his relationship with Whedon. Fillion referred to an article in New York Magazine detailing the misconduct and "toxic workplace" allegations. For his part, Fillion sees another side of Whedon that the article didn't get into. The actor says that Whedon would even agree that he's a "work in progress," suggesting that there are some mistakes that have been made, but Fillion would have no qualms collaborating on another project.
"I read that article, and nowhere in there at any point in time did he mention Firefly. I had an entirely – that was not my experience with that man... (He's) funny, self-deprecating, incredibly talented... maybe a little haunted... I mean, listen, by his own admission that guy’s a work in progress, and I appreciate that… I would work with Joss again in a second. I would work with him again in a second.”
Fillion also made it clear he wouldn't be willing to jump on board a Firefly revival unless Whedon were to be involved. The actor even says that the two have often joked and fantasized about doing more with the series, something many fans have been calling for. When asked specifically if he'd do a new Firefly without Whedon, Fillion said:
"It would be heartbreak. How can you?"
Justice League Stars Have Vowed to Never Work With Joss Whedon Again
There have been multiple actors who've alleged that Joss Whedon had mistreated them on set. Famously, Justice League actor Ray Fisher had claimed that Whedon exhibited “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable" behavior during the filming of the DC movie. His co-star Gal Gadot has backed him up by also claiming Whedon was cruel to her while working on Justice League.
"He kind of threatened my career and said if I did something, he would make my career miserable and I just took care of it on the spot,” Gadot claimed last year.
Whedon did not exactly apologize for these allegations. He blasted the Justice League cast as the "rudest group" of people and denied that he ever threatened Gadot. Whedon had suggested that it was a language barrier that had led Gadot to misinterpret something he had said.
Gadot would later say that she "understood perfectly" what Whedon told her. The Wonder Woman star also vowed to "never work with him" again, hoping other big stars would follow suit. Where Whedon's career goes next from here remains to be seen, but while Gadot is out, perhaps Nathan Fillion will be in.