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The Rookie cast does actual LAPD training in virtual reality, which Nathan Fillion likens to being on Star Trek’s holodeck
The Rookie’s VR training has led not just to a more immersive acting experience for the cast, but as star Fillion explains it, a particularly embarrassing moment for one of his costars
NewsbyGrant DeArmitt, Staff Writer
Published on Fri Jul 31 2026
Popverse’s coverage of Comic-Con International: San Diego 2026 is brought to you byDark Horse Comics.
The producers of cop dramas like The Rookie want to keep up a sense of reality when it comes to what’s on screen. Ironically, the way that show does it sometimes is by putting the cast into a situation specifically designed to only simulate reality, the same kind of fake reality that the not-fake LAPD use in their real, simulated training.
Really.
The topic came up during a live conversation The Rookie cast were having as part of their San Diego Comic Con panel this year. Attending the panel were stars like Melissa O’Neil and Nathan Fillion, plus newcomer and spinoff lead Jay Ellis, whose series The Rookie North is scheduled for release early 2027. At one point in the sprawling conversation, Ellis asked the assembled Rookie cast what about their training for the show stayed with them, and O’Neil was quick to respond.
“Some of the training that we’ve done stays with you,” said O’Neil, “It’s training that the LAPD will also go through. They run these drills and sometimes they even use virtual reality. Those systems are so cool and those simulations stay with you. There have been times when we’re shooting a scene and I’ll remember something that I learned in training and we’ll implement it.”
Fillion, who has plenty of experience being part of science fiction projects, offered his own take on the pre-shooting exercises, saying they took place in a “extremely high-technology, virtual-reality training center, the size of a gymnasium. You equip yourself with virtual-reality stuff and they put you into… it’s like being in the holodeck in Star Trek. They set up a scenario for you.”
Those scenarios can sometimes lead to memorable mishaps on-set, such as the time costar Richard T. Jones decided to “lean up against a wall that does not exist,” and went tumbling down in front of the whole cast. Jones, who was also attending the panel, reminded Fillion:
“We’re never supposed to mention that.”
The Rookie season 9 debuts on Hulu January 2027.
Want to catch up with Hulu’s hit cop drama? Let Popverse share everything we know about The Rookie’s season 9.
About Comic-Con International: San Diego
Comic-Con is the premier event for all things comics and related popular art, including movies, television, gaming, interactive multimedia, and so much more! Enjoy cosplay galore and take part in unique programming, exclusive previews, and presentations, not to mention the expansive and diverse Exhibit Hall featuring merchandise and displays representing all fandoms.
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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.
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