David Duchovny's thoughts on aliens after working on the X Files is devastating
David Duchovny played the handsome yet unrelenting force of agent Fox Mulder in X-Files. He, paired with Gillian Anderson’s agent Dana Scully MD, are the duo trying to blow open the conspiracy the US government are covering up knowledge of extraterrestrial life.
The hit TV show spanned several seasons and even pumped out two feature films. It’s been hailed as one of the greatest series ever, despite it first airing 30 years ago. David Duchovny’s performance as the believer who won’t let any crazy encounter – or attempt against his life – diffuse the truth is out there helped skyrocket his celebrity star power. As we look back on the program’s success over three decades, the movie star’s confession outside the FBI may be quite the disappointment.
David Duchovny almost never starred in the X Files
It’s hard to imagine anyone else to play the part of Fox. Serious, unwavering and genuine, he spends his life searching for the truth of the universe. Whether he’s facing a man who can create fires without a source, or Tooms, the 100-year-old man who can stretch to fit his body into any space, nothing phases him.
In the X Files, David Duchovny was the perfect casting for the part. No one else in Hollywood could have fit that role – but they almost did.
Rewinding back to the 1990s, Duchovny explained how it came to be with another star. He explained to the Parks and Recreation actor on his podcast, Literally! With Rob Lowe.
Duchovny wanted to turn down the pilot for the X Files over a movie. But his agents managed to sit him down to persuade him to take part. He feared that the show wouldn’t run for very long. The Evolution star was concerned it’s a niche subject, and it may ‘run out’ of ideas or possibilities. Years later, he realized taking a jump was the right choice.
He explained: “X-Files, this is about extraterrestrials. How long can it go? It’s a good pilot but you’re either going to see the aliens or [not].
“I wasn’t interested in conspiracy theories, and I was perfectly willing to just say, ‘I’m going to have to pass on that pilot, because I said I’d do this other project.’
“It’s scary to think back on, if you didn’t open this door, or you took that left instead of that right. It’s like, none of it had to happen.
“You talk about actors being dumb…well, that was me.”
David Duchovny and X Files’ Fox Mulder couldn’t be any different
Sadly, the 63-year-old confirmed what we have all feared for years. He doesn’t think the truth is out there. He’s opened up a few times about his thoughts on the notion that there could be intelligent life abducting victims from Earth, as well as the conspiracy the US government is hiding secrets about UFOs (now known as UAPs).
But Duchovny thinks the cat would have been out of the bag by now.
He said back in 2016: “I’ve never known anybody, not one person, to keep a secret.
“I find it hard to believe that they’re keeping aliens from us because it’s pretty juicy.
“You come home from work and you go: ‘Honey I’ve got to tell you something, but you’ve got to promise not to tell anybody.
“They’re here, I saw an alien today’ and she’s like: ‘I won’t tell anybody’ and she is then straight on the phone with her mom.”
Another time, he was asked if his role in the X Files spurred him on to look into it more himself or sparked an interest. However, it seems as much as Fox is a believer, it didn’t convince David.
He said: “I remember I used to try to answer my fan mail because there wasn’t much of it, and they would bring it to me. There were stories that people would tell me about being abducted.
“They would just make me sad. I thought that these people had issues that they had to deal with.”
He respects anyone who is searching for the truth, but it’s not something he needs to embark on himself.
The X Files’ plan for Scully would have backfired
After 11 seasons, a comeback and two silver screen releases, you’d think the bosses at Fox knew what they’re doing. Although, it turns out the original plan for Dana Scully could have affected all of that success.
As the two FBI agents, who are tasked with investigating paranormal phenomena (X Files), Fox and Dana are Ying and Yang. Fox is a believer at heart. But Dana is the skeptic who tries to add science and reason for each of the strange occurrences. It offers balance that allows the show to have some footing amid the conspiracy realm.
But Dana Scully was almost handed over to Pamela Anderson. It’s said after Sharon Stone’s bombshell appearance in Basic Instinct, Hollywood execs wanted to capitalize on the blonde moment.
But, it would be Chris Carter, executive producer of the show, to fight for Gillian. He said she was the only star who convincingly portrayed what Scully represented after auditions.
Following the success of The X Files, David Duchovny wasn’t the only one to spark change. Scully’s part not only led to Gillian’s multiple awards (including an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and two SAG Awards) but it had a knock-on effect.
Fans hailed the role for going against the norm, smashing clichés of women in sci-fi series.
Gillian herself has been told by women in STEM fields that her performance inspired them to study science, health and medicine.
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