His first trip to New Zealand was an out-of-this-world experience that rookie star Nathan Fillion wants to repeat.
“I felt like I was in an episode of Star Trek because I was in another world,” he says.
I could breathe and everyone spoke English but the plants were different and the leaves were different colors and flowers I had never seen before. I felt like I was visiting a cruise ship.
“Now that things are back to normal, I feel that traveling and seeing the world again is very important. I have friends there and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen them so I can see myself coming to New Zealand.”
Meanwhile, the 52-year-old Canadian-American is in Los Angeles waiting for the Hollywood writers’ strike to end so that production can begin on the sixth season of his crime drama The Rookie.
The series follows the life of John Nolan, the oldest rookie in the Los Angeles Police Department.
Canadian Canadian Nathan Fillion as John Nolan in the US adaptation of The Rookie.
Nolan also appeared regularly in the drama, The Rookie: Feds, which premiered this year.
In the fifth season of The Rookie, Nolan took on the role of new teacher Celina Juarez, played by Lisseth Chavez of DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow.
“It’s something that’s built on the show that every season there will be something new and very different about John Nolan in the new life he’s chosen,” says Fillion. “Now that he’s no longer an actor, the title of the show is more symbolic of the journey he’s on.
“I’m sure he had dreams of becoming a police officer when he first started, but he made the wrong choice and that path was never open to him.
But then he realized that what he did in training was what motivated him the most and what he wanted to do to take care of other people.”
The Rookie is grounded in reality. It is based on the true story of John Norcross, who made a middle-of-the-road decision to achieve his goal of joining the police force.
He settled in his ex-girlfriend’s guest house to enlist in the LAPD, which is one of the only places that accepts people over the age of 37.
“We borrowed the story and even though it’s not the first cop show (the original), our part is the idea of a reboot, of a person starting over,” Fillion says.
“And even though not everyone can fit into being a police officer, people can relate and get back together.”
Raymond Liu
New recruit Celina Juarez who played Lisseth Chavez and John Nolan who played Nathan Fillion in The Rookie.
Fillion heard stories about The Rookie inspiring other adults to follow in his footsteps.
“I also heard about a priest who became a police officer. I’ve heard of real events but, more and more, I’ve heard of people being inspired to start over, saying, ‘This is not a mid-life crisis, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and why not start here? ‘”
Fillion has also thought about what he would do if he were no longer an actor.
“Can I teach drama?” Can I correct it? Should I book or buy a boat and go on sunset cruises?”
However, right now he’s more than happy to star in two series and has more ideas for the future – The Rookie: Submarine anyone?
Temma Hankin
Image from The Rookie: Feds (above), The Rookie series.
“I really enjoy the police aspect of the show. It’s really fun because every time the radio goes off there’s a call that comes in and you never know what it’s going to be like. Is it going to be something weird and scary like live snakes to deal with or is it going to be difficult, someone in trouble?” He says.
“In addition to the characters being living, breathing people, how every police officer out there is living, breathing and bringing their stuff to the table.
“I just made my 25th year in business this year and this is the best job I’ve ever had.”
That’s a great word for his resume, which includes a role in the cult classic Firefly and his film Serenity, eight seasons as writer-turned-amateur sleuth Richard Castle in Castle and, this year, a role in Guardians Of The Galaxy . book 3.
“It’s easy to think about your career and say, ‘Oh, those were the good old days’, but now I’m in the good old days.”
“I can’t believe that this is my life. I pinch myself all the time.
“Every day I go to the beautiful Paramount Studios, I go through that amazing gate and I work on television, take a lunch break, then go around the other side of the lot and work on another TV show (The Rookie: Feds). I feel great.”
The Rookie, TVNZ 2, Monday.
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