diff --git a/namespace.go b/namespace.go
index e067cd9..a15d3d3 100644
--- a/namespace.go
+++ b/namespace.go
@@ -18,16 +18,13 @@
 
 package salix
 
-import (
-	"reflect"
-	"sync"
-)
+import "sync"
 
 // Namespace represents a collection of templates that can include each other
 type Namespace struct {
 	mu    sync.Mutex
 	tmpls map[string]Template
-	vars  map[string]reflect.Value
+	vars  map[string]any
 	tags  map[string]Tag
 
 	escapeHTML *bool
@@ -37,7 +34,7 @@ type Namespace struct {
 func New() *Namespace {
 	return &Namespace{
 		tmpls: map[string]Template{},
-		vars:  map[string]reflect.Value{},
+		vars:  map[string]any{},
 		tags:  map[string]Tag{},
 	}
 }
@@ -46,14 +43,7 @@ func New() *Namespace {
 func (n *Namespace) WithVarMap(m map[string]any) *Namespace {
 	n.mu.Lock()
 	defer n.mu.Unlock()
-
-	n.vars = map[string]reflect.Value{}
-	if m != nil {
-		for k, v := range m {
-			n.vars[k] = reflect.ValueOf(v)
-		}
-	}
-
+	n.vars = m
 	return n
 }
 
@@ -90,7 +80,7 @@ func (n *Namespace) GetTemplate(name string) (Template, bool) {
 }
 
 // getVar tries to get a variable from the namespace's variable map
-func (n *Namespace) getVar(name string) (reflect.Value, bool) {
+func (n *Namespace) getVar(name string) (any, bool) {
 	n.mu.Lock()
 	defer n.mu.Unlock()
 	v, ok := n.vars[name]
diff --git a/parse.go b/parse.go
index db00a0a..41a687a 100644
--- a/parse.go
+++ b/parse.go
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ import (
 	"io/fs"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
-	"reflect"
 	"strings"
 
 	"go.elara.ws/salix/ast"
@@ -55,7 +54,7 @@ func (n *Namespace) ParseWithName(name string, r io.Reader) (Template, error) {
 		name: name,
 		ast:  astVal.([]ast.Node),
 		tags: map[string]Tag{},
-		vars: map[string]reflect.Value{},
+		vars: map[string]any{},
 	}
 
 	performWhitespaceMutations(t.ast)
diff --git a/salix.go b/salix.go
index f1529cd..f943bda 100644
--- a/salix.go
+++ b/salix.go
@@ -61,18 +61,13 @@ type Template struct {
 	escapeHTML *bool
 
 	tags   map[string]Tag
-	vars   map[string]reflect.Value
+	vars   map[string]any
 	macros map[string][]ast.Node
 }
 
 // WithVarMap returns a copy of the template with its variable map set to m.
 func (t Template) WithVarMap(m map[string]any) Template {
-	t.vars = map[string]reflect.Value{}
-	if m != nil {
-		for k, v := range m {
-			t.vars[k] = reflect.ValueOf(v)
-		}
-	}
+	t.vars = m
 	return t
 }
 
@@ -202,7 +197,7 @@ func (t *Template) getValue(node ast.Node, local map[string]any) (any, error) {
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		return val.Interface(), nil
+		return val, nil
 	case ast.String:
 		return node.Value, nil
 	case ast.Float:
@@ -253,11 +248,11 @@ func (t *Template) unwrapASTValue(node ast.Value, local map[string]any) (any, er
 // getVar tries to get a variable from the local map. If it's not found,
 // it'll try the global variable map. If it doesn't exist in either map,
 // it will return an error.
-func (t *Template) getVar(id ast.Ident, local map[string]any) (reflect.Value, error) {
+func (t *Template) getVar(id ast.Ident, local map[string]any) (any, error) {
 	if local != nil {
 		v, ok := local[id.Value]
 		if ok {
-			return reflect.ValueOf(v), nil
+			return v, nil
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -327,7 +322,7 @@ func (t *Template) execFuncCall(fc ast.FuncCall, local map[string]any) (any, err
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, t.posError(fc, "%w: %s", ErrNoSuchFunc, fc.Name.Value)
 	}
-	return t.execFunc(fn, fc, fc.Params, local)
+	return t.execFunc(reflect.ValueOf(fn), fc, fc.Params, local)
 }
 
 // getIndex tries to evaluate an ast.Index node by indexing the underlying value.
@@ -471,7 +466,7 @@ func (t *Template) evalVariableOr(vo ast.VariableOr, local map[string]any) (any,
 	if err != nil {
 		return t.getValue(vo.Or, local)
 	}
-	return val.Interface(), nil
+	return val, nil
 }
 
 func (t *Template) handleAssignment(a ast.Assignment, local map[string]any) error {
diff --git a/vars.go b/vars.go
index ee60e3e..e261cd4 100644
--- a/vars.go
+++ b/vars.go
@@ -23,19 +23,19 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 )
 
-var globalVars = map[string]reflect.Value{
-	"len":        reflect.ValueOf(tmplLen),
-	"toUpper":    reflect.ValueOf(strings.ToUpper),
-	"toLower":    reflect.ValueOf(strings.ToLower),
-	"hasPrefix":  reflect.ValueOf(strings.HasPrefix),
-	"trimPrefix": reflect.ValueOf(strings.TrimPrefix),
-	"hasSuffix":  reflect.ValueOf(strings.HasSuffix),
-	"trimSuffix": reflect.ValueOf(strings.TrimSuffix),
-	"trimSpace":  reflect.ValueOf(strings.TrimSpace),
-	"equalFold":  reflect.ValueOf(strings.EqualFold),
-	"count":      reflect.ValueOf(strings.Count),
-	"split":      reflect.ValueOf(strings.Split),
-	"join":       reflect.ValueOf(strings.Join),
+var globalVars = map[string]any{
+	"len":        tmplLen,
+	"toUpper":    strings.ToUpper,
+	"toLower":    strings.ToLower,
+	"hasPrefix":  strings.HasPrefix,
+	"trimPrefix": strings.TrimPrefix,
+	"hasSuffix":  strings.HasSuffix,
+	"trimSuffix": strings.TrimSuffix,
+	"trimSpace":  strings.TrimSpace,
+	"equalFold":  strings.EqualFold,
+	"count":      strings.Count,
+	"split":      strings.Split,
+	"join":       strings.Join,
 }
 
 func tmplLen(v any) int {