Why Nathan Fillion Agreed To Star In The Rookie Before He Read A Single Script

It didn't take much to convince Nathan Fillion to sign on as the lead of ABC's "The Rookie."

The actor stars as John Nolan, a man in his 40s who joins the Los Angeles Police Department after witnessing a bank robbery in his Pennsylvania hometown. As of this writing, "The Rookie" has earned five Emmy nominations, and in April 2026, ABC renewed the series for Season 9. 

Fillion was so on board with the show's concept that he accepted the role of Nolan without reading any scripts. In a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor explained what motivated him to join "The Rookie."

"It was the pitch," Fillion said. "The core idea of the show, it has to be something strong enough to carry it a number of years. You want the potential for more. You don't want to hit a roadblock where you've run out of stories because our engine isn't built that way. This one has an engine. [John Nolan] is literally starting his life over, from scratch. He has an incredible history behind him, but he's starting everything brand new. It's a very attractive prospect that people can relate to."

According to Nathan Fillion, he wasn't too concerned with the police drama's unfinished scripts when "The Rookie" creator Alexi Hawley offered him the role. "One of my strengths is knowing what pies to keep my fingers out of," he said. "You delegate responsibility. The guy in charge of story knows exactly what he's doing. My forte is in front of the camera; I can take care of that."

Fillion previously worked with Hawley from 2009 to 2016 while headlining the TV series "Castle," on which Hawley served as a writer, executive producer, and eventual co-showrunner. In 2019, Hawley told Assignment X about his relationship with Fillion and how it contributed to their reunion on "The Rookie."

"I would always work with Nathan if I could," he shared. "I mean, he is not only a phenomenal actor, but he's a great guy, and he's a real partner. When I got the phone call about the show, he was the first name that jumped into my mind and [executive producer] Mark Gordon's mind. I just wasn't sure whether he was ready to come back and be a full-time lead on network television. And I was lucky enough to get him to trust me."