Fillion puts his body on the line
He’s an old new guy in new show ‘The Rookie.’
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – In ABC’s “The Rookie,” the new cop is a middleage man.
“Castle” veteran Nathan Fillion, 47, said he could empathize with his character, 40-year-old Los Angeles Police Department rookie John Nolan, after scenes that require him to climb fences, sprint down streets and confront dangerous suspects.
“Six pounds of Epsom salts after a typical day of shooting and bruises up and down my thighs” was the ultimate result, Fillion said Tuesday at the Television Critics Association summer press tour. “I’m at the point in my life where if I could have a stunt guy running down the street for me, these knees will appreciate it.”
Fillion showed off an engaging humor when he added: “I like that it’s rough for John Nolan. That is not far away from my truth. Kneeling is a stunt for me.”
In “The Rookie,” Nolan takes a career and life plunge, moving from smalltown Pennsylvania to Los Angeles after his heroic response to a dangerous situation helps him restart his dormant life. The series also stars Richard T. Jones, Afton Williamson, Alyssa Diaz, Titus Makin Jr. and Mercedes Mason.
The series is based on the true story of a middle-age rookie officer at the LAPD, where there isn’t an upper age limit to join, as there is at many law enforcement agencies, executive producer Alexi Hawley said.
Nolan’s police colleagues are hardly welcoming, as they see the aged rookie, more than a decade older than the other new arrivals, as a walking midlife crisis who could endanger them.
Jones, who plays a sergeant who oversees Nolan, explains his character’s initial hostility.
“When you’re older, you might be set in your ways. He might could cause a problem for the unit as a whole and put people’s lives in danger. The LAPD is such a hard job. … You have to be willing to learn and the (sergeant) feels that maybe he’s at the age where he wouldn’t be willing to learn the process,” he said.
Fillion said he feels many people are embarking on new careers and paths in life when they hit middle age.
“This is a new norm we are experiencing culturally: the do-over, the reboot,” he said. “A lot of people are having this reinvention experience or know someone who has.”
Although Fillion, a fan favorite celebrating 25 years as an actor, hasn’t changed careers, he appreciates his good fortune, especially his eightseason run on ABC’s “Castle.”
“To have a television show is a big deal. To have one last more than two weeks is an even bigger deal.
“Eight years is more than I could have asked for, more than I could have hoped for.”
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