Check out three new videos of Joss Whedon sharing his thoughts on how un-crossed stars, camera phones, and Nathan Fillion all came together in his adaptation of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy Much Ado About Nothing.

In the lead up to the theatrical release of Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing, the creator of Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer sat down with the film’s official Facebook page to discuss the process and experience of making Shakespeare’s words his own.

In the first video, Whedon said that a major inspiration for filming the play – which he had long considered – was the actors he had available. Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof had already impressed Whedon with their readings of Beatrice and Benedick, and “put their stamp on it.” He also admitted a fondness for “making them play star-crossed lovers, so I thought it would be nice for once to un-cross their stars.”

Whedon also confessed that he was initially hesitant to dive into filming Much Ado About Nothing, telling his wife (producer Kai Cole) that he hadn’t figured out his “take” on the moody comedy. “Well you’ve got a month,” he recalled her saying. “Figure it out.”

In the second video, Whedon shares his favorite character in the Much Ado About Nothing and discusses his youthful experience with Shakespeare’s work. He also discussed the profound effect that advances in technology have made on filmmaking. “When I first thought of adapting Shakespeare to film,” he said, “I thought, ‘Well I can’t actually do it, because I can’t fund it.’ What you need to do something like that now is a phone.” Whedon encouraged a combination of low-budget technology and old-fashioned solutions for modern aspiring filmmakers. “Most of our lighting was the sun,” he said. “There’s really no excuse not to be making movies at this point. Anyone can do it.”

In the third interview clip, Whedon shares his thoughts on the decision to film the play in black and white – a nod to the classic “noir comedy” and discusses Nathan Fillion’s cold feet. Initially, Whedon says, “He said ‘Yes, great!’ and then he said, ‘No, not great!'” Citing overwork and a busy schedule, Fillion asked to back out of the movie. “I was like Nathan, I don’t have a Plan B,” Whedon said. “You are Dogberry. Nobody else could be that pompous, you’ve gotta come through for me.” The cajoling did the trick, and Fillion stayed on to play Dogberry. “I think he’s extraordinary,” Whedon said.

Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing opens in select theaters in the U.S. on June 7, and on June 14 in the U.K.