Nathan Fillion is famed for his illustrious TV career. The 55-year-old actor has anchored a string of iconic shows, rocketing to stardom as Captain Malcolm Reynolds in the sci-fi western Firefly, before later leading two long-running network hits: the mystery-comedy Castle and the ABC police procedural, The Rookie.
But did you know that back in the early noughties, Nathan appeared in a cult classic? The actor appeared in the final season of the smash-hit supernatural drama, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
© LANDMARK MEDIA / Alamy Stock PhotoCreated by Joss Whedon, the show starred Sarah Michelle Gellar as the titular Buffy Summers, a teenage girl gifted with the ability to hunt down and slay vampires. Nicholas Brendon and Alyson Hannigan also starred in the horror, which aired from 1997–2003.
Keep reading to find out all about Nathan's role on the show.
Nathan's role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Playing the sadistic, misogynistic priest Caleb, Nathan appeared in five episodes of the seventh season. He served as an agent of the First Evil until meeting his bloody end during a climactic final battle with Buffy.
© LANDMARK MEDIA / Alamy Stock PhotoSharing what he learned from the role, Nathan previously told Comic Book: "That was my first time playing a villain. And Joss Whedon taught me a lot about playing villains. The first thing being, the villain doesn't think he's the villain. That was very informative to me. He's not in the corner of wrenching his hands going, 'I'm the bad guy and I'm going to do something nasty.'
"He's justified and he is righteous," he continued. "I'm really scared of righteous people because once they're righteous, they can't be wrong anymore. Whatever they want, they feel righteous. You can't stop them. It's the worst. So yeah, that scares me too."
Nathan Fillion's career
Nathan made his small-screen debut at the age of 21 in the 1993 action film, Ordeal in the Arctic, playing Master Warrant Officer Tom Jardine. The following year, the actor landed his breakout role as Joey Buchanan in the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, for which he won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series.
© AFP via Getty ImagesThis was followed by a string of leading roles in major TV shows, including Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds in the cult sci-fi hit Firefly, as well as the sitcom Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, in which he played Johnny Donnelly.
© Disney General Entertainment ConOne of his most notable roles was playing the title character in the crime comedy-drama Castle, which ran for an impressive eight seasons until 2016.
In 2018, Nathan landed the starring role in police drama, The Rookie, which is currently in its eighth season.
© Disney via Getty ImagesThe synopsis reads: "John Nolan, once the oldest rookie in the LAPD, now uses his life experience, determination and sense of humor to keep up with rookies 20+ years his junior. John and the team must navigate the intense, unpredictable nature of their jobs and personal challenges, while uplifting the next generation of first responders."
