Anyone who has a love of aliens and conspiracies is no doubt a fan of the X-Files. Hard to believe that the show premiered 20 years ago and even harder to believe there has not been a new movie yet. That is probably do to the second movie, X-Files: I Want To Believe, which was not a box office success, nor was it praised by critics. Well David Dochovny and Gillian Anderson hit NYCC over the weekend, to celebrate 20 years since the show premiered. They of course got the question on a third movie. Below is all that was said and asked at the panel.
PANEL
- The crowd sang happy birthday to Chris Carter – who wasn’t at the panel – while David Duchovny recorded it on his phone.
- When Duchovny and Anderson first started the show, they had no idea how huge it would get.
- According to Anderson, Chris Carter doesn’t believe X-Files would have been very popular during the George W. Bush administration, but he does think it would be popular today.
- Both Anderson and Duchovny would have very little idea of what would be happening in the plot until they got the script a few days before shooting.
- Anderson talked about how Scully made science cool for girls and inspired many to enter the field.
- The actors talked about the kind of research they did for the show. Duchovny said it wasn’t important to know all the details of their jobs as FBI agents because they constantly broke the rules of the bureau and almost never solved a case. Anderson, on the other hand, looked up all the “big words” in the beginning, but eventually stopped and just “acted.”
- Duchovny and Anderson were asked about their current projects – Duchovny stars on Californication and Anderson stars on The Fall and appears onHannibal – but Duchovny cut the host off and said that the panel attendees just wanted to hear them talk X-Files.
- On the topic of a third X-Files movie, Duchovny said that he wants to do it, Anderson wants to do it, and Chris Carter wants to do it. Of course, this isn’t particularly news. The real question is – does 20th Century Fox want to do it?
Q&A
- What were some of the weirdest/most awkward things they had to film in the X-Files? Anderson talked about a scene where they had to climb out of a dirt hole covered in yellow slime. Duchovny talked about a scene involving bees.
- Duchovny and Anderson were asked to act out a scene as Mulder and Scully. They pretended to be breaking up as a couple.
- As both actors have found success in theater, do they have plans to return to theater acting? Anderson is returning soon; Duchovny is interested, but he has no current plans.
- Why did the finale leave so many loose ends? According to Duchovny, it’s because Chris Carter always intended to continue the series as films.
- How does it make them feel that they brought so many people together withX-Files? Gillian talked about how that’s an experience that doesn’t happen as much anymore thanks to Twitter, Facebook, etc. Duchovny talked about how grateful they were for the fans and he thanked everybody on behalf of the 200+ people who worked on the show besides Gillian and himself.
- Is carrying the character of Mulder for twenty years a double-edged sword? Duchovny said he doesn’t think of himself as Mulder, but when he finished the show, he wanted to play a character that was the opposite of him. As for Anderson – she doesn’t “become” the characters so much as stand outside them and examine them.
- Asked about the “Season 10″ comics, both actors said they haven’t read them.
- What would they like to see in an X-Files 3? Duchovny and Anderson both want to see the alien conspiracy return in a third film.
- When they shot the episode “Home” – which was about incest, among other things – did they know it was going to be as controversial as it was? They didn’t really think about it, but they thought it was good and horrifying.
- Gillian was asked whether or not she’ll appear in Hannibal season 2 – and the answer was “yes.”
- Asked about Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan – who got his start on X-Files – Duchovny and Anderson said of course they’d work with him again (depending on the material).
- What was their inspiration for their characters? Gillian said Clarice Sterling (as played by Jodi Foster in Silence of the Lambs) was hers. Duchovny didn’t really give an answer.
- A fan asked how Duchovny and Anderson felt about Mulder and Scully’s romance. Anderson said she was happy that they waited long into the series to establish it. Duchovny said that they weren’t really aware of the chemistry, they just sort of instinctively did their thing. He also said he didn’t really “get” the romance at the time, but now he does.
- The last question wasn’t actually for Duchovny and Anderson – it was a proposal from a fan to his girlfriend, who said yes. Duchovny then asked the couple to come onto the stage and the actors wished them a wonderful life and a beautiful marriage as “Going to the Chapel” played in the background.
There you have it. Both actors are down for X-Files 3, and I would love to see it happen as well. Let me know your thoughts about the two FBI agents returning to the big screen.
Source: Screen Rant