Nathan Fillion admits he completely misjudged Pete Davidson before they met.
Fillion, 52, is celebrating the 100th episode of his ABC-TV series The Rookie, which airs Tuesday, February 27. When asked by The Hollywood Reporter which guest star “stands out to you,” Fillion said the Saturday Night Live alum.
“One of the people I had the most fun with is Pete Davidson,” Fillion said in an interview published on Tuesday. The two actors met while shooting The Suicide Squad in 2021 starring Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena and Viola Davis.
In The Suicide Squad, Fillion portrayed Cory Pitzner/T.D.K. (The Detachable Kid), a metahuman who can detach his arms from his body. Davison, 30, played mercenary Richard “Dick” Hertz/Blackguard.
“When I first met him, I thought, ‘He and I are probably not going to be best pals,’” Fillion recalled. “And within four minutes, I was embarrassed and ashamed because I’d judged a book by its cover. He’s an incredibly kind man. Within two or three days, I invited him to do an episode, and he graciously accepted. He’s wildly talented and always brings a flavor to the character that’s realistic. It’s been a pleasure seeing what this unlikely friend of mine can do with being an unlikely half-brother and friend to my character.”
Fillion stars in The Rookie as John Nolan, the oldest rookie at the Los Angeles Police Department. He also serves as an executive producer of the series. Davison appeared in three episodes from 2020 to2022 as his half brother, Pete Nolan.
When the series launched four years ago, Fillion raved about working with the comedian.
“I met a couple of real cool people. One of them Pete Davidson,” Fillion said during a February 2020 interview on SiriusXM’s EW Live.
“My ne’er-do-well half brother. One’s a cop. One’s a pain in the ass,” he said in describing the characters’ relationship.
During the Sirius XM interview, Fillion talked about how pleasantly surprised he was in working with the actor from New York City.
“Let me tell you what I never knew about Pete Davidson,” he said. “How incredibly charming he is. Oh my God … He is the nicest man. I used to think I was the nicest man.”
