Joss Whedon addresses the i09 March Madness poll in a recent New York Times interview. Keep in mind almost everything he says should be read with heavy irony. Linky.

Q.

Did you happen to keep up with the March Madness tournament on io9.com, in which readers voted “Serenity” the top fantasy film of all time, over “The Empire Strikes Back”?

A.

I have been alerted to this fact by certain of my friends. When I saw us going up against “Empire Strikes Back,” all I could think was, “Oh, they’re gonna hate it. They’re gonna hate us. They’re gonna call our fans names.” But while “Empire Strikes Back” is for me the more seminal film, “Serenity” at least has an ending. I don’t know when “The Matrix” got voted down – that’s my favorite. It is starting to be a double-edged sword. There’s no greater sadness than not still being on board that ship with that crew, in my career. All I can think is, maybe someday, someone at Universal will say, “Hey, we made money. Let’s do that again.” So I’m glad that it lives. But I also know that every time it gets in one of those polls, against beloved movies, we just get flamed. I feel sad, too.

Q.

It’s like being a parent, and letting your child find its way in the world.

A.

I can’t control how beautiful and popular my child is. What can I do?