Once We Were Spacemen
- Episodes
- 54
- Released
- weekly
- Latest episode
- Nov 11, 2026
About the podcast
Nathan FIllion and Alan Tudyk were once spacemen. Since co-starring on Firefly, they have also been aliens, mystery writers, veterinarians, superheroes, chickens, robots, and policemen. Now, they’re doing a podcast where they get to know their fellow creatives, learning about who they once were and what they’re up to now. This is that podcast. Listen to Once We Were Spacemen wherever your mom gets her podcasts. If you’d like to listen early, join our community on Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Episodes 54
Once We Were Poets | Episode 53
Alan returns from New Orleans with another hotel story that should come with a warning label. Nathan recalls the leading role he turned down right after Firefly, a decision his agents struggled to explain to …
Show notes
Alan returns from New Orleans with another hotel story that should come with a warning label. Nathan recalls the leading role he turned down right after Firefly, a decision his agents struggled to explain to the producers. And an eight-legged houseguest puts Nathan’s hospitality to the test. Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Were with Never Quite Over It with Adam Baldwin | Episode 52
Adam Baldwin has stories from a career that includes My Bodyguard, The Patriot, and a little show called Firefly. There’s also a Stanley Kubrick scene that vanished in a cloud of smoke, the lessons learned from …
Show notes
Adam Baldwin has stories from a career that includes My Bodyguard, The Patriot, and a little show called Firefly. There’s also a Stanley Kubrick scene that vanished in a cloud of smoke, the lessons learned from working alongside Hollywood legends, and the art of stealing a scene… turns out, it helps to have a little clown in you.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Were Forever Ginger | Episode 51
Need to command authority? Try changing your outfit. A tie can transform a classroom and a black uniform can turn a police officer into a soldier... Elsewhere, Alan has a hotel-room standoff with a very …
Show notes
Need to command authority? Try changing your outfit. A tie can transform a classroom and a black uniform can turn a police officer into a soldier...
Elsewhere, Alan has a hotel-room standoff with a very persistent sausage and Nathan recounts a scooter ride through Rome that could have ended very differently. The guys also revisit the making of 3:10 to Yuma, where a little movie magic turned a construction site into the Old West.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Were the Shepard Shuffler with Josh Dean | Episode 50
Josh Dean has spent decades making Nathan laugh, occasionally at his own expense. Their friendship goes back to Edmonton, long before Josh was directing Alan and Nathan in giant mascot costumes. Despite his …
Show notes
Josh Dean has spent decades making Nathan laugh, occasionally at his own expense. Their friendship goes back to Edmonton, long before Josh was directing Alan and Nathan in giant mascot costumes.
Despite his comedic chops, Josh swears he can’t teach comedy. But when pressed, he boils his philosophy down to three principles. Nathan and Alan hold them up against the jokes he’s handed them over the years, including one they still can’t believe he came up with on the spot.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Were in Saddam's Palace | Episode 49
Alan once spotted a rock legend across a crowded bar and decided, with a little liquid courage, that he had to say hello. He had one shot at a first impression. He did not stick the landing. Nathan has his own …
Show notes
Alan once spotted a rock legend across a crowded bar and decided, with a little liquid courage, that he had to say hello. He had one shot at a first impression. He did not stick the landing. Nathan has his own brushes with greatness, including a surprise phone call with a childhood hero and a run-in with a comedy icon. Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Were 5, 6, 7, 8 with Mekia Cox | Episode 48
Mekia Cox doesn’t do anything halfway. Eight months after having a baby, she joined The Rookie and spent her first week sprinting after a stunt double and (literally) getting thrown by Nathan. She’s been going …
Show notes
Mekia Cox doesn’t do anything halfway. Eight months after having a baby, she joined The Rookie and spent her first week sprinting after a stunt double and (literally) getting thrown by Nathan.
She’s been going all out since age seven, when she started performing professionally. During one audition, she gave so much that the only note she received was to calm down. That commitment extends to a specific sound she makes on set. Nathan enjoys watching new guest stars hear it for the first time.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Were Chased by the Military | Episode 47
In this episode, we learn just how close Alan came to spending time in a military prison. Spoiler, it was close. It was very close. Meanwhile, Nathan’s home seems to be conspiring against him. From critters …
Show notes
In this episode, we learn just how close Alan came to spending time in a military prison. Spoiler, it was close. It was very close.
Meanwhile, Nathan’s home seems to be conspiring against him. From critters (living and dead) to rogue appliances, it’s one battle after another. Sit back, relax, and get ready to learn absolutely nothing.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Were PAs, Then Icons with Bruce Campbell | Episode 46
Bruce Campbell got his start hauling cable and holding cue cards in Detroit, back when the likes of Frank Sinatra were shooting car commercials as a favor to a friend. Decades later, he can tell you which lens …
Show notes
Bruce Campbell got his start hauling cable and holding cue cards in Detroit, back when the likes of Frank Sinatra were shooting car commercials as a favor to a friend. Decades later, he can tell you which lens is best suited for handsome actors, how voices get ruined in the mix, and why he no longer touches his watch on set. He's also one of the few actors who can talk back to Sam Raimi.
His new film, Ernie & Emma, is what Bruce calls "a return to truly independent filmmaking." He's bringing it to Alamo Drafthouse theaters nationwide through November 14. Tickets at Drafthouse.com.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Were Legends and Doctors | Episode 45
Alan Tudyk has been cemented as a Disney Legend, complete with a letter from a former Disney CEO… no, the other one. He wrote three acceptance speeches for the ceremony. The two that were cut for reasons of …
Show notes
Alan Tudyk has been cemented as a Disney Legend, complete with a letter from a former Disney CEO… no, the other one. He wrote three acceptance speeches for the ceremony. The two that were cut for reasons of self-preservation get performed here instead.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Built Serenity with Loni Peristere | Episode 44
Before Nathan and Alan ever set foot on a spaceship, Loni Peristere had to build the thing… that thing being Serenity. As Firefly's visual effects supervisor and co-founder of Zoic Studios, Loni has spent years …
Show notes
Before Nathan and Alan ever set foot on a spaceship, Loni Peristere had to build the thing… that thing being Serenity. As Firefly's visual effects supervisor and co-founder of Zoic Studios, Loni has spent years chasing the gap between a shot that looked cool and a shot audiences would actually believe. That instinct carried him into an Emmy-winning career that now has him serving as a director and executive producer on House of the Dragon.
Loni sits back down with the guys he first got to know on the set of Firefly, and even owns up to the joke he once played on Joss Whedon.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Got Clipped | Episode 43
Once We Were Spacemen was only ever supposed to run sixteen episodes. Forty-something episodes later, Nathan and Alan finally cash in that long-threatened break with a highlight reel pulled from the archives …
Show notes
Once We Were Spacemen was only ever supposed to run sixteen episodes. Forty-something episodes later, Nathan and Alan finally cash in that long-threatened break with a highlight reel pulled from the archives. In this episode, they run back all the bits and segments that have gotten them to Episode 43.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Logged on with Colton Dunn | Episode 42
For twenty years, Nathan, Alan, and Colton Dunn have been gaming buddies. So much so that Nathan kept a sticky note handy during this recording so he wouldn't slip and call Colton by his gamer tag. Even after …
Show notes
For twenty years, Nathan, Alan, and Colton Dunn have been gaming buddies. So much so that Nathan kept a sticky note handy during this recording so he wouldn't slip and call Colton by his gamer tag.
Even after two decades of friendship, there's apparently more to learn, like why Colton once learned to juggle, or how he spent a full year of his childhood reigning as actual royalty.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Were Committed Beyond Reason | Episode 41
Being interesting isn't enough – it's better to be interested, especially in things like overheard phone conversations and restaurant ordering systems. Nathan and Alan were once waiters who had to memorize the …
Show notes
Being interesting isn't enough – it's better to be interested, especially in things like overheard phone conversations and restaurant ordering systems. Nathan and Alan were once waiters who had to memorize the same brutal numeric code to input food orders. Recalling the digits for sour cream makes us want to say... all that for that?
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Drank Open-Sore Coffee with Lisseth Chavez | Episode 40
Early in her run playing Officer Celina Juarez on The Rookie, Lisseth Chavez accidentally introduced herself as a famous pop star. Nobody has let her forget that. By then she'd already spent years working …
Show notes
Early in her run playing Officer Celina Juarez on The Rookie, Lisseth Chavez accidentally introduced herself as a famous pop star. Nobody has let her forget that.
By then she'd already spent years working steadily across television, though none of it stopped her from taking meticulous notes on set. Long before that, an agent called to ask how she'd feel about a drastic change to her look. She said yes without needing to think about it, and the offers that came afterward were worth the new ‘do.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production. Stay spacey!
Once We Got Farts in the Drapes | Episode 39
Once, Alan set off on a camping trip he called The Quest for Freedom, chasing wide-open spaces and total independence from anything resembling a girlfriend. What he found instead involved a borrowed truck and a …
Show notes
Once, Alan set off on a camping trip he called The Quest for Freedom, chasing wide-open spaces and total independence from anything resembling a girlfriend. What he found instead involved a borrowed truck and a night that took kaleidoscopic turns.
Nathan spent seasons of his childhood wishing for freedom from the Canadian winters, an impulse that turns out to run in the family. Long before him, his father made his own early bids for independence in Edmonton, including a very public verdict on a neighbor's Sunday turkey and a nickel dispute with his own aunt that ended badly for a wagon full of groceries.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Were Lunk Alarmed with Louis Jensen | Episode 38
Artist and creative catalyst, Louis Jensen, has been part of this show since before the first episode aired, just never in front of a microphone. Nathan makes the introduction, and Alan meets the man behind the …
Show notes
Artist and creative catalyst, Louis Jensen, has been part of this show since before the first episode aired, just never in front of a microphone. Nathan makes the introduction, and Alan meets the man behind the name in the credits.
Some people tell good stories because they know how to tell a story. Louis tells good stories because he's lived an unreasonable number of them. By the end, Nathan and Alan have new nicknames and a fresh reminder of why the most unlikely friendships are often the best ones.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Used Dog Scissors | Episode 37
Nathan got a pet psychic reading for his cat. The psychic said something that he, a committed skeptic, immediately dismissed. But maybe he was wrong to do that… Meanwhile, Alan needed a haircut while at a …
Show notes
Nathan got a pet psychic reading for his cat. The psychic said something that he, a committed skeptic, immediately dismissed. But maybe he was wrong to do that…
Meanwhile, Alan needed a haircut while at a convention and solved the problem by asking the audience for a volunteer, mid panel, while still taking questions.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Made Uncharted with Allan Ungar | Episode 36
Allan Ungar is the filmmaker behind the Uncharted fan film that the internet went wild for… the one where Nathan played Nathan Drake. It all began with a soft float, which is apparently a Canadian thing, and a …
Show notes
Allan Ungar is the filmmaker behind the Uncharted fan film that the internet went wild for… the one where Nathan played Nathan Drake. It all began with a soft float, which is apparently a Canadian thing, and a chain of events so unlikely it had to start with a con man.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Coveted Sharp Vision | Episode 35
Nathan cannot seem to visit Paris without ending up underground. Last time it was the basement of the Eiffel Tower; this time, the catacombs, where one prisoner's story pulled his attention off the other six …
Show notes
Nathan cannot seem to visit Paris without ending up underground. Last time it was the basement of the Eiffel Tower; this time, the catacombs, where one prisoner's story pulled his attention off the other six million skeletons.
Back above ground, Nathan and Alan recount the laser eye surgery they both had years ago, and the small difference in results that one of them still refuses to forgive...
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Had A Tudyk Rash with Jim Rash | Episode 34
Jim Rash will insist the Groundlings is not a cult, and he is mostly right. The improv troupe turned him into a gifted actor, though he insists his deep well of characters is closer to a kiddie pool. He waves …
Show notes
Jim Rash will insist the Groundlings is not a cult, and he is mostly right. The improv troupe turned him into a gifted actor, though he insists his deep well of characters is closer to a kiddie pool. He waves off his writing talents too, which is harder to pull off with an Oscar at home. The newest thing he is being modest about is Miss You, Love You, a film he wrote and directed, now on HBO Max.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Richard Jash. Ahem. Jim Rash…
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Were Robot #4 | Episode 33
Alan was once cast as Robot #4, but his trailer door now says Gary. The upgrade was not an accident. Checking in from the Atlanta set of the Superman sequel, Alan makes the case that a little conviction can …
Show notes
Alan was once cast as Robot #4, but his trailer door now says Gary. The upgrade was not an accident. Checking in from the Atlanta set of the Superman sequel, Alan makes the case that a little conviction can turn a number into a name. Nathan knows a thing or two about conviction himself, having once taped a script page to his own forehead in service of a scene.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Were Fake Private Eyes with Eric Winter | Episode 32
Eric Winter spotted Nathan at a farmers market and assumed, with some certainty, that his career was over. Fortunately for fans of The Rookie, he was wrong. Despite being told he was too nice to play mean, Eric …
Show notes
Eric Winter spotted Nathan at a farmers market and assumed, with some certainty, that his career was over. Fortunately for fans of The Rookie, he was wrong.
Despite being told he was too nice to play mean, Eric landed the role of Tim Bradford. After eight seasons of playing television's crankiest cop, somehow none of the cynicism has rubbed off.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Scared Aunt Jeannie | Episode 31
Do you know how real cowboys earn their belt buckles? If you don't, Alan will tell you. And if you do, Alan will tell you anyway. The guys wander from Texas to Paris, where most people visit the top of the …
Show notes
Do you know how real cowboys earn their belt buckles? If you don't, Alan will tell you. And if you do, Alan will tell you anyway.
The guys wander from Texas to Paris, where most people visit the top of the Eiffel Tower. Nathan, however, visited the basement… which is probably for the best, as the wind makes it rather nippy up there.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Were Late Clowns with Edi Patterson | Episode 30
Edi Patterson is one of those performers who commits so fully you forget you're watching someone act. Righteous Gemstones and Vice Principals fans need no introduction. Alan witnessed her brilliance firsthand …
Show notes
Edi Patterson is one of those performers who commits so fully you forget you're watching someone act. Righteous Gemstones and Vice Principals fans need no introduction.
Alan witnessed her brilliance firsthand on Resident Alien, where she played the tallest, most beautiful, most unhinged avian alien in the universe. Their characters’ scenes had a way of going places no one planned, including one that should have been nominated for an MTV Best Kiss Award.
Nathan has his own evidence: Edi recently picked up a script she'd never seen, walked to center stage, and immediately developed a speech impediment.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Had A Nice Fist Fight | Episode 29
Alan just moved into a new place that may already be occupied. He's fine with some light haunting, as long as the ghost mostly stays out of his way. Nathan, however, thinks Alan should go full Ghostbuster …
Show notes
Alan just moved into a new place that may already be occupied. He's fine with some light haunting, as long as the ghost mostly stays out of his way. Nathan, however, thinks Alan should go full Ghostbuster.
Speaking of things hiding in plain sight… a soap opera veteran once gave Nathan a piece of advice that he's been slipping into his performances ever since. If you've watched The Rookie, you've seen it.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Were Knee-Deep in Chocolate with Bill Roe | Episode 28
Bill Roe was eleven years old when he rode a trolley to Bavaria Studios, waved to the guard, and went to work scooping foam out of the chocolate river on the set of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Five …
Show notes
Bill Roe was eleven years old when he rode a trolley to Bavaria Studios, waved to the guard, and went to work scooping foam out of the chocolate river on the set of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Five decades later, he's the Supervising Director on The Rookie, and Nathan and Alan finally have a microphone in front of him. As it turns out, the man who was present for some of the most iconic moments in American film and television has never once sat down for an interview. Some lucky bastard is going to be the first to ask him all about his incredible career. Alan and Nathan are those bastards.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Drove Cross-Country | Episode 27
Alan drove a motorhome across America and arrived with lots of feelings about freedom, the open road, and the structural integrity of RV awnings. Nathan has 150 fidgets – organized by type in velvet-lined …
Show notes
Alan drove a motorhome across America and arrived with lots of feelings about freedom, the open road, and the structural integrity of RV awnings. Nathan has 150 fidgets – organized by type in velvet-lined display cases – which honestly tracks.
The guys catch up on new beginnings, old neighborhoods, and the kinds of stories that only happen in New York.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Borrowed Kayaks with Jon Huertas | Episode 26
Jon Huertas has lived a life that defies easy explanation. He'll try anyway. From the Bronx to the Air Force, from Castle's precinct to gold country, Jon has always found his way… usually by ignoring the …
Show notes
Jon Huertas has lived a life that defies easy explanation. He'll try anyway. From the Bronx to the Air Force, from Castle's precinct to gold country, Jon has always found his way… usually by ignoring the obvious path. Nathan and Alan could listen to his stories forever. They almost did.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Had Bad Haircuts | Episode 25
Once, Alan Tudyk humped a national treasure. Tom Hanks, specifically. In jeans. Other business includes worst haircuts, surreal celebrity encounters, and the time Alan accidentally got stoned before a red …
Show notes
Once, Alan Tudyk humped a national treasure. Tom Hanks, specifically. In jeans. Other business includes worst haircuts, surreal celebrity encounters, and the time Alan accidentally got stoned before a red carpet.
Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Maybelline… Actually, it's just Alan's dog. Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
Once We Filled German Niches with Flula Borg | Episode 24
Very few people can trace a straight line from a small town in Bavaria to playing supervillains in Hollywood. Flula Borg is not one of them. His path involves an improbable mentor list, a trainer named Paolo …
Show notes
Very few people can trace a straight line from a small town in Bavaria to playing supervillains in Hollywood. Flula Borg is not one of them. His path involves an improbable mentor list, a trainer named Paolo, and a holiday tradition that only makes sense if you've seen all eleven seasons of Frasier. Tune in for the slowest lightning round in OWWSM history.
Follow Once We Were Spacemen wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to extended episodes a whole week early by joining our Patreon. Once We Were Spacemen is a Collision33 production.
These are the latest 40 of 54 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.
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