I don't plan on only making these top 10 lists of massive cult actors, but this seems to be the direction I've been heading in, so I might as well commit. This time, I'm covering another charming actor who hasn't had quite the successful career he deserves, but has enough of a following to keep him from ever fading into total obscurity.
A funny and magnetic actor mostly known for his projects with writers and directors like Joss Whedon and James Gunn, Fillion may not have the range of some of the all-time greats, but has the charm and looks to stand alongside just about any A-list actor. The only thing separating him from the biggest movie stars in the business seems to be luck of the draw. Either way, I find him to be an incredibly likable actor with a pretty great body of work.
So let's get right into this list, and here's the necessary reminder that this isn't an attempt at being objective. This is my opinion, and you can't have it.
| 10. | Preston Northwest
in Gravity Falls |
He's had a fair amount of voice acting roles throughout his career, but my favorite would have to be this one. A sleazy and pretty awful man whose subtle manipulations and emotional distancing from his daughter has morphed her into something of a monster, Fillion brings his usual charm to the role in his very limited time in the show, but manages to make the most of it. While he's not *totally* evil, it's still entertaining to see (or rather, hear) Nathan Fillion play this kind of character.
A supporting part in a mostly unknown indie drama isn't exactly prime material for most actors, but as is often the case with the hard working types, he makes the most of his limited time on-screen and his chemistry with Michelle Monaghan is genuinely terrific. He plays off others well, and has a powerful scene near the end that caps off his arc really well, managing to still be lovable and relatable even when he isn't being the best person around. Subtle, emotional, and a total scene-stealer.
| 8. | Captain Hammer
in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog |
Web series don't usually offer up the most captivating performances around, but even at the ridiculously short runtime of about 40 minutes, this 4-episode series gave us some great Fillion moments as a totally egocentric superhero. I was pretty impressed with his musical number, as goofy as it was, and his charming presence worked to make him the perfect antagonist hero to the villainous protagonist played by Neil Patrick Harris. He's pretty great at being a bad guy who's actually a good guy.
| 7. | Sheriff Bill Pardy
in Slither |
One of relatively few starring film roles for Fillion, this local sheriff who's trying to figure out just what the hell is going on with these evil space slugs that are going around causing all sorts of problems is also as good an example as any as to why he deserved more parts this big. Equal parts action and comedy, Fillion matches the tone of the film perfectly and manages to be a pretty great hero in a story that's mostly dominated by crazy effects and an amazing supporting performance by Michael Rooker. Holding his own would've been good enough, but he goes beyond that.
| 6. | Dr. Jim Pomatter
in Waitress |
I've touched on this briefly before, but Fillion's ability to play characters who do horrible things and still manage to be totally lovable is incredibly impressive to me. In this movie he plays a doctor who begins an affair with one of his patients (the titular waitress) in spite of both of them being married. The way the movie handles this is sensitive and understandable - at least on her end - but his wife seems to be a genuinely good person, making him seem much worse. But he's so sweet and charming you can't help but to root for him. That's pretty amazing, if you ask me.
| 5. | Caleb
in Buffy The Vampire Slayer |
In spite of only appearing in a small handful of episodes right near the end of the series, his awful haircut, and equally bizarre southern accent, this is still the best villain he's ever played and had me secretly rooting for him against the heroes -- he's too legitimely evil for me not to find him captivating. As a character he's nothing special, but the presence and glee Fillion adds to the role make him stand out much more than he probably could have with anyone else playing him. Whether he's spouting misogyny or gauging out eyeballs, he's never less than mesmerizing to watch.
Another web series, Con Man suffers from the same pitfalls of pretty much any self-referential ultra-meta show or movie featuring actors or comedians playing exagerrated versions of themselves, but as talented as Fillion is, playing some variation of himself is just about the perfect use of him. In this he basically plays himself, but with the sense of humor he has, is more than willing to poke fun at his successes and failures alongside the main focus of the show, Alan Tudyk. Apart from the mediocre meta stuff, the biggest failure of this show would have to be not enough Fillion, because he carries the show every time he shows up.
| 3. | Robert Graves
in Water's Edge |
Another very small movie that most people are totally unaware of, Water's Edge is a thriller with Fillion in the lead role as a man who, along with his grieving wife, escape to a cabin in a small town where they become embroiled in a story of local city corruption, blackmail, and murder. The movie itself is generally lacking, but Fillion's emotional and frazzled performance carries the whole picture, whether he's delivering a heartfelt bit of dialogue to his suicidal wife or nervously talking to the cops when being questioned in regards to a serious crime. Mediocre movie, excellent performance.
| 2. | Mal Reynolds
in Firefly |
The charming rogue captain of an outlaw space vessel, Reynolds is possibly the greatest hero character Joss Whedon has ever written, but it wouldn't have meant anything if he hadn't cast the perfect actor. Not only is he quick-witted and sly, but loyal to his crew as any great captain should be. Fillion's natural charms add to the already likeable nature of this hero, somehow avoiding feeling like many previous space ship captain characters of the past. Maybe not quite my favorite of his, but so close it might as well be.
| 1. | Richard Castle
in Castle |
Having not seen the entire show at this point this may be premature, but even as a fairly generic TV show in a lot of ways, Fillion elevated the material he was given and made this character his own. With a keen mind, snarky sense of humor, and enough ego to spread throughout a few small towns, there's a great deal of straight-forwardness to this character that is by no means unfamiliar territory for a TV lead. But when you add aspects to his character like his sweet and tender relationship with his daughter, and the difficult one he has with his mother, it makes him a lot more fun to watch. This is a simple character, sure, but Fillion does some of his best work here, and even in an average episode he's more than enough reason to watch the show. This performance hits all the right notes and, unlike Firefly, there's plenty of it around to enjoy -- not just one season.
He's had a fair amount of voice acting roles throughout his career, but my favorite would have to be this one. A sleazy and pretty awful man whose subtle manipulations and emotional distancing from his daughter has morphed her into something of a monster, Fillion brings his usual charm to the role in his very limited time in the show, but manages to make the most of it. While he's not *totally* evil, it's still entertaining to see (or rather, hear) Nathan Fillion play this kind of character. 
A supporting part in a mostly unknown indie drama isn't exactly prime material for most actors, but as is often the case with the hard working types, he makes the most of his limited time on-screen and his chemistry with Michelle Monaghan is genuinely terrific. He plays off others well, and has a powerful scene near the end that caps off his arc really well, managing to still be lovable and relatable even when he isn't being the best person around. Subtle, emotional, and a total scene-stealer.
Web series don't usually offer up the most captivating performances around, but even at the ridiculously short runtime of about 40 minutes, this 4-episode series gave us some great Fillion moments as a totally egocentric superhero. I was pretty impressed with his musical number, as goofy as it was, and his charming presence worked to make him the perfect antagonist hero to the villainous protagonist played by Neil Patrick Harris. He's pretty great at being a bad guy who's actually a good guy.
One of relatively few starring film roles for Fillion, this local sheriff who's trying to figure out just what the hell is going on with these evil space slugs that are going around causing all sorts of problems is also as good an example as any as to why he deserved more parts this big. Equal parts action and comedy, Fillion matches the tone of the film perfectly and manages to be a pretty great hero in a story that's mostly dominated by crazy effects and an amazing supporting performance by Michael Rooker. Holding his own would've been good enough, but he goes beyond that.
I've touched on this briefly before, but Fillion's ability to play characters who do horrible things and still manage to be totally lovable is incredibly impressive to me. In this movie he plays a doctor who begins an affair with one of his patients (the titular waitress) in spite of both of them being married. The way the movie handles this is sensitive and understandable - at least on her end - but his wife seems to be a genuinely good person, making him seem much worse. But he's so sweet and charming you can't help but to root for him. That's pretty amazing, if you ask me. 
In spite of only appearing in a small handful of episodes right near the end of the series, his awful haircut, and equally bizarre southern accent, this is still the best villain he's ever played and had me secretly rooting for him against the heroes -- he's too legitimely evil for me not to find him captivating. As a character he's nothing special, but the presence and glee Fillion adds to the role make him stand out much more than he probably could have with anyone else playing him. Whether he's spouting misogyny or gauging out eyeballs, he's never less than mesmerizing to watch.
Another web series, Con Man suffers from the same pitfalls of pretty much any self-referential ultra-meta show or movie featuring actors or comedians playing exagerrated versions of themselves, but as talented as Fillion is, playing some variation of himself is just about the perfect use of him. In this he basically plays himself, but with the sense of humor he has, is more than willing to poke fun at his successes and failures alongside the main focus of the show, Alan Tudyk. Apart from the mediocre meta stuff, the biggest failure of this show would have to be not enough Fillion, because he carries the show every time he shows up.
Another very small movie that most people are totally unaware of, Water's Edge is a thriller with Fillion in the lead role as a man who, along with his grieving wife, escape to a cabin in a small town where they become embroiled in a story of local city corruption, blackmail, and murder. The movie itself is generally lacking, but Fillion's emotional and frazzled performance carries the whole picture, whether he's delivering a heartfelt bit of dialogue to his suicidal wife or nervously talking to the cops when being questioned in regards to a serious crime. Mediocre movie, excellent performance. 
The charming rogue captain of an outlaw space vessel, Reynolds is possibly the greatest hero character Joss Whedon has ever written, but it wouldn't have meant anything if he hadn't cast the perfect actor. Not only is he quick-witted and sly, but loyal to his crew as any great captain should be. Fillion's natural charms add to the already likeable nature of this hero, somehow avoiding feeling like many previous space ship captain characters of the past. Maybe not quite my favorite of his, but so close it might as well be. 
Having not seen the entire show at this point this may be premature, but even as a fairly generic TV show in a lot of ways, Fillion elevated the material he was given and made this character his own. With a keen mind, snarky sense of humor, and enough ego to spread throughout a few small towns, there's a great deal of straight-forwardness to this character that is by no means unfamiliar territory for a TV lead. But when you add aspects to his character like his sweet and tender relationship with his daughter, and the difficult one he has with his mother, it makes him a lot more fun to watch. This is a simple character, sure, but Fillion does some of his best work here, and even in an average episode he's more than enough reason to watch the show. This performance hits all the right notes and, unlike Firefly, there's plenty of it around to enjoy -- not just one season.
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