'Firefly' Cast Ponders Death, Sex at New York Comic Con
It’s been thirteen years since the good Firefly-class starship Serenity flew its last mission on terrestrial television, and a solid decade since it’s solitary self-titled big screen outing failed to raise much of a box office ruckus in theaters. But for the Browncoat faithful, Joss Whedon’s Western-inspired sci-fi-verse will never die. That’s why thousands of Firefly fans filled up the Main Stage at the New York Comic Con for the chance to see four of their favorite crew members reassemble: rebellious captain Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), stern second-in-command Zoe Washburne (Gina Torres), geeky mechanic Kaylee Frye (Jewel Staite, now visibly pregnant) and ace pilot Wash Washburne (Alan Tudyk). FYI, Tudyk’s appearance was a genuine surprise for the crowd, not just because he wasn’t on the initial guest list, but also due to the fact that his alter ego fell victim to Whedon’s penchant for killing beloved characters in the climactic act of Serenity. Honestly, all these four had to do to delight the crowd was stand there and smile. But because they’re pros, they also swapped some war stories from their days aboard Serenity. Here are some of the most memorable moments from their 10th anniversary reunion.
Zen and the Art of Learning Chinese
One of Whedon’s innovations with Firefly was imagining a future where the language was a fusion of English and Chinese. That required the very American (and Canadian) cast to learn how to sling Mandarin phrases like native speakers. “We’d get the translation in the script and than we’d get a cassette tape of how it was said,” Fillion said. “Sometimes you’d get a line that was supposed to be said really angrily, but on the tape, it would be said nicely,” said Fillion. “You had to work on figuring out how to make it sound angry!" The entire cast would walk around the set listening to those cassette tapes on that ancient technology known as Walkmans… well, almost the entire cast. "I never listened to the tapes,” admitted Staite. “I just winged it. All of my Chinese is recorded later on to be more precise. They couldn’t figure out why I was the only one who wasn’t getting it. Well, that’s why!”
Keeping the Bed Warm
Shooting sex scenes may be fun for the audience to watch, but they aren’t all that enjoyable for actors to shoot. Sometimes, though, even they just want to cuddle up with a warm body. That’s how onscreen husband-and-wife Tudyk and Torres wound up spooning in their characters’ bed prior to filming their own love scene. “The crew was still shooting another scene,” Torres remembered. “So we slipped into bed and spooned and started talking about our day. The crew filtered in and we just stayed there. We were like, ‘We’re good.’” Tudyk told a slightly different account: “That was the only scene we had to shoot that day, so I got into my space pajamas and got into bed, saying 'I’m just going to sleep here until Gina shows up.’ As I’m getting in, I hear Gina come in and go, 'Damn it!’ She had the same idea that I did. So she got in, and there was a moment of silence. Then she said, 'Well, get over here!’” We know they’re not a real couple and all…but that’s kinda hot.
Jessica and Zoe are Soul Sisters
These days, Torres has traded in Zoe’s leather jacket for Jessica Pearson’s killer wardrobe in the USA favorite, Suits. But she sees a clear continuity between the sci-fi space Western and the legal drama. “I think Jessica is really Zoe in high heels. She’s still got to keep these stupid boys in line. They have very similar traits and I think that’s the reason why fans love her. She’s got this kind of awesome authority. And really great outfits.” Torres says that even guest actors on Suits have been known to fanboy (and fangirl) out on her. “They’ll be holding it in and then on their last day, they’ll come up to me and be like, 'I’m such a Browncoat.’”
Death Pool
Browncoats still haven’t forgiven Whedon for killing two fan favorite characters — Book (Ron Glass) and Wash — in Serenity. But over the years, Fillion has come to see the wisdom in that decision. “Serenity taught me that if characters are willing to lay down their lives for an idea and then nobody dies, there are no stakes. So people died, but it wasn’t for no reason. Book dies to let the audience and the characters know how much the villain wants us dead. And we lose Wash, because it’s a dangerous things we’re doing.” If anything, Fillion felt that more people should have died in Serenity — specifically Kaylee. “You can’t kill Kaylee!” Staite protested. “That would be like drowning puppies.” Fillion immediately countered, “If Mal died, everyone would be like, 'Yeah, he probably would eventually.’ But Kaylee?” Thank goodness Whedon didn’t let him near the script…
Want More Firefly? Well… Read the Comic Books
Were Firefly to become the latest cancelled series to receive a reboot, the entire cast would be back onboard Serenity in a heartbeat. But until then, they’re following along with their characters’ adventures in the comics, several volumes of which have been published by Dark Horse over the years. “Zoe is having an awful time,” Torres says. “She’s given birth, her husband’s dead and she’s been put in prison on a no man’s planet. But I’m a little behind. Do I get myself out?” Somebody buy her the latest issue, stat.
