In James Gunn’s Superman movie, there’s one character who’s already stealing scenes before the film even drops, Green Lantern’s loudmouth wildcard, Guy Gardner. Nathan Fillion is playing the character, and he seems to be having the time of his life channeling one of DC’s most chaotic, lovable jerks.
We’ve seen bits and pieces of Fillion’s Guy Gardner in the trailers and he’s snarky, cocky, rocking that unapologetic bowl cut, and it’s clear he’s nailing the vibe.
But in a recent appearance on the DC Studios Showcase Official Podcast, Fillion revealed something that threw fans for a delightful loop, his performance is inspired by… Sophia from The Golden Girls. Sophia is Estelle Getty’s no-nonsense, zero-filter queen from the classic sitcom. He explained:
“You know, I took my inspiration from the oldest cast member from Golden Girls, where she just, whatever she wanted to say, just there was no filter.
“She just said, Thank you, Estelle Getty. Thank you. Just whatever it is, there it is, he’s just gonna say it. Part of his origin was he was at one point hit by a bus, and was in a coma.
“So I just say that’s the thing that flipped the switch. That’s the thing that caused a little bit of brain damage. Now he’s just… off a little bit.”
It’s a fun and hilarious choice, but it works. Guy Gardner has always been the lantern who says the quiet part loud, often to the dismay of teammates and fans alike, and Fillion clearly gets that. He’s giving the character dimension, layering the bravado with something both bizarre and endearing.
As for the character’s look, particularly the bowl cut, Fillion wasn’t about to let it go. He said:
“There was some talk about different hairstyles. There was some talk about some different types of things we were going to go. I was team bowl cut the whole way. It’s canon. It’s set.
“I said, If we don’t do a bowl cut, we’re going to hear about it,” he said. That’s the kind of comic book loyalty we respect.
When asked if taking on a lesser-known character came with added pressure, Fillion didn’t see it that way. In fact, he saw it as a creative gift.
“I think if anything else there’s a freedom. I think the real stakes and that kind of stress would probably be on David. You know, you’re playing Superman. Good luck.
“People have a lot of expectations. But if you’re coming in with something that’s a little fresh for some people, it’s all on you. Like, hey, I get to decide how this is gonna go.”
And for those wondering if we’ll see Gardner’s infamous Green Lantern constructs, Fillion gave a big “Absolutely”—before immediately pulling a classic Guy move and dodging the details.
“Exactly what you’d expect from Guy Gardner. I mean, if you said, ‘Hey, there’s an emergency. We need a Green Lantern,’ Guy Gardner is the guy you hope you don’t get.
“There’s thousands of them out there, all over the universe. ‘God, please not Guy. Not Guy.’ You got Guy. ‘Damn it! Damn it!’”
Whatever he’s bringing to the table, one thing’s for sure, Fillion’s Guy Gardner is going to be one of the wild cards to watch when Superman hits theaters on July 11.
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