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Nathan Fillion defends Joss Whedon: ‘I would work with him again in a second’

Whedon was accused of toxic misconduct on the set of ‘Justice League’ and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’

Inga Parkel
Thursday 23 June 2022 20:44 BST
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Joss Whedon: I'm very lonely

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Canadian actor Nathan Fillion has voiced his support for filmmaker Joss Whedon, saying he would “work with him again in a second”.

Whedon’s reputation has been shattered since 2020, following accusations made by Charisma Carpenter and Ray Fisher of toxic misconduct on the sets of Justice League and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Gal Gadot also claimed the Avengers director had threatened her career.

Details of the allegations were published in a New York Magazine profile, in which Whedon brushed them off, stating that Gadot “misunderstood” him as “English is not her first language”.

Now, on a recent episode of the Inside You Podcast, Fillion – who starred in several of Whedon’s projects, including Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer – has stood up for the director.

“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,” the actor said.

He instead described Whedon as “funny, self-deprecating, incredibly talented” and “maybe a little haunted”.

“I mean, listen, by his own admission that guy’s a work in progress and I appreciate that,” Fillion acknowledged, before adding: “I would work with Joss again in a second. I would work with him again in a second.”

Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon (Getty Images)

The actor further shared that the two had casual chats about continuing Firefly, the 2002 one-season sci-fi show.

“We talk, we joke, we fantasise,” Fillion said.

However, because of the allegations, continuing without Whedon “would be heartbreak. How can you?” he questioned.

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In 2020, Justice League actor Fisher alleged that the director’s behaviour had been “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable.”

The claim led Warner Bros to perform an investigation, which resulted in “remedial action” against Whedon. No details of the investigation were released, but it coincided with his exit from his HBO series The Nevers.

In Whedon’s original profile, he said he thinks he’s one of the “nicer showrunners that’s ever been”.

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