Nathan Fillion: 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.

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?

[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.

It’s a test? I was told there would be no math, Mandi.

You’ll do fine. When do you yell at the TV?

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?

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?

[Softly] Yes. Not proud.*

Did you ever write a fan letter to anyone when you were young? If so, who?

[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.

The piece of pop culture memorabilia from your childhood that you wish you still had?

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?

Some might say “geeky.” I might say “super-duper cool.”

Oh, I mean it as a term of affection.

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?

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?

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.

* I’m not the only one who finds two TiVos a total turn-on, right? Just checking.

More Nathan Fillion and EW Pop Culture Personality Tests:

50 Actors We’d Watch in Anything

‘Castle’: Nathan Fillion making your clock tick?

‘Castle’: Snap judgment on Nathan Fillion’s new show

Why Serenity‘s Nathan Fillion is such a nice guy

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‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog’: An Oral History

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