X Files
Did it seem like old times?The first couple of weeks felt like déjà vu, but then it was just the business of making a movie.
What can you tell us about the film in general…the themes?Without wanting to take away from the audience an experience of surprise, the themes are the same as the show always was -- you’ve got belief and faith and the relationship between Mulder and Scully, and how that’s developed over the past four or five years. They’ve not been stuck in time, they’ve moved on in some fictional realm just as we all have and yet their issues remain the same.
When the X-Files first started it captured the zeitgeist of the country, how is the X-Files different, now that the world has changed?People say the world changes all the time and yet human nature remains the same. Good stories are going to be good stories and people are going to see them. I don’t think people go to see movies because of what is going on in the world; people usually go to escape what is going on in the world,
Why do you think this is the right time for the movie?I always felt that whatever time it happened it would be fun.
Do you see this as a series of X-Files movies?Yes, I wouldn’t see any reason to do it unless I thought it could be. It’s a serial show by its nature - it has a classic relationship with a believer and a non-believer, with this kind of unrequited love in the middle of it which works and can work forever - as long as your stories are good.
Is Mulder a changed person, six years later, from being on the run?You’ll have to see. In my experience things don’t change that much. Character doesn’t change.
How excited were you to get back in to the character?I was very excited to do it and then as the day approached nearer I started to wonder if I needed to work more to get back into character and so then there was a certain amount of fear.
When you were doing the show, you became involved in writing scripts and co-writing scripts with Chris Carter. Did you have any input in the writing of this script?I wasn’t involved in the conception or the writing of it. It is a tightly plotted thriller and if you have a tightly plotted thriller there is not a lot of rewriting that should be done. It’s not a form that tolerates improvisation and it was well enough put together when it was presented, and Gillian and I thought there was really nothing to add in that way.
You directed some episodes and you also went on to direct a film. How interested would you be, if there is a next X-Files, in taking the helm of that?I would be interested, but it is not in my wheel house to direct a big action film like this. I would feel out of my element - which is probably a good thing. I wouldn’t offer it to me! I might be interested in directing an action film but I don’t think it would be wise for me to direct myself in an action film or to screw around with this actual franchise. I feel there are other opportunities for me to direct and I have other interests.
Coming back to the X-Files, do you worry about being typecast?I gave up a while ago worrying about the whole phenomenon of typecasting once I realized that it happens across the board .Comedy actors get trapped in there and dramatic actors can’t do comedy. I don’t worry about it - and I think what overcomes that is my love for the show and belief in its legitimacy as an interesting movie franchise.
Can you speak about your character and why people love the character?That’s more for you to figure out. I always liked that he was so narrow minded in his pursuit and I think that’s attractive. I think people respect that in somebody and I think they also know you are in for a quest or cause -- he is a guy on a quest. And he’s never a drag, which that kind of character could easily be.
Do you lose your gun?I can’t answer that...I am sure if I ever get my hands on a gun you can be pretty sure somebody will take it out of my hands.
How is your relationship with Gillian now, is it very different from what it was during the series?It’s very good and yes it is probably different in that we are both not exhausted all the time.
Do you still share a sense of discovery or is there a sense that everything is easy and comfortable? I think there is a real feeling that we don’t just want to cash in on the past, we all want to do something new and we all want to make it good. We don’t want to throw a piece of crap out there and have people go look at it for nostalgia’s sake.
Do you think this film strikes a balance between referencing the series and making it accessible to people who have never seen X-Files?I think this movie is much more accessible to the non-fan in terms of story, plot and everything else.
I heard that some of the fans where exhausted towards the end of the series. Do you think the movie will bring those fans back into X-Files mode?There were nine years of one-hours .I can’t think of another show that did that with the same cast. So the exhaustion was mutual (laughs). I would think if they fell in love with the show for the premise and the characters, the execution and the writing - well that is what I think we are back to.
How scary does this movie get?It’s very scary. It is pretty dark and there is some nasty stuff going on.
What people also like about Mulder is his dry sense of humour, do we see much of that in this film?Yes, there is a place for that… and I think it is an essential part of the character.
When episodes of the old show come on, do you watch them or do you flee?I don’t run, but I don’t seek them out. I am not a by appointment television watcher, I sit down in front of it and if something happens to be on I watch it. So therefore I leave myself open to sometimes watching an X-Files because I will be flicking around and come across it.
You played the character for over a decade. What do you find is the best thing about Mulder for you? And what are the challenges for you?Well I think it is that kind of single minded not taking “no” for an answer, he never gives up. He’s a quest hero and that’s not something we get to do in real life. The challenges are to bring in the humanity…to bring in the humour or to bring in side interests…to make the guy three dimensional.
How did it feel to be back in Vancouver?I love Vancouver so it is always good to come here…I have a lot of friends here. Aside from not being with my kids and my wife, I like being here.
There is so much secrecy surrounding this film…is it because the fans are out there clamoring for every bit of information or is it because Chris Carter is a secretive guy and he doesn’t want anything to get out there? It is a little bit of both I think. Chris wants it to be a surprise.
Was it fun working with Billy Connolly on this movie?He is fantastic. A terrific guy and a terrific actor. He’s just a great person to be around and always interesting and energetic and funny off set - and great in the character he is playing. I can’t understand a word he is saying (laughs), but he seems to be a very nice guy.
We thought you wanted to go off and do all these things in England and have this whole different career and want to leave the X-Files behind so why come back?I did and I did. But I think that I have always made it pretty clear no matter what has been rumored at various times in the press, that were we to come together in order to do a film, that I would be happy and willing and hopefully able to participate, and so I just assumed, that it would just be a matter of time. There were a few times there when it looked like it might not happen but I was always on board.
Do you agree with David Duchovny that this movie could be the first of several, that X-Files can go on now as a movie series?I think that is something that has been discussed for a long time and that’s something that we have all been interested in and if we are able to do one that appeals to a mass audience that perhaps we might even do another one after this…but we will have to see.
What is it like to come back to the X-Files? Is it familiar or does it seem strange?You know I wasn’t so much cocky about it but I was really confident that it was going to be really easy on the first day, and I wasn’t afraid at all. Usually I am terrified before I start something. And then for the first couple of days it sucked. It was horrible. I’ve spent such a long time trying not to do anything that even remotely resembled Scully whilst working, so when I was inviting her back again my brain was going “No, no, this isn’t supposed to be happening.” And also we happened to start on the worst possible scene we could have started with.
Which was?It was probably one of my most difficult days. It was a confrontation scene, I hadn’t even been ‘normal Scully’ before I had to be ‘upset Scully.’
Do you see Scully differently now - has she changed a lot?I don’t think she has changed…I think what’s been important is to not have her change a lot. I think it’s important to show somebody that’s recognizable to the audience who is used to her. Obviously there has been a maturity that has taken place naturally.
Is there some references to what happened to Scully in the last five years?Not really, I think that it becomes a given.
What is behind your willingness to come back to this? Was it that you didn’t want to be the one who said no and then the whole thing might fall apart?It was a formidable experience for all of us. Even at the times when I was very outspoken about the challenges of the show, it was still something that I wouldn’t have changed for the world. I was always aware that this was something unique and valuable and precious and something that doesn’t happen very often and that we were all incredibly lucky. Coming back together again has been exciting.
So much has changed in the world and for everybody since the X-Files was first on the air and since the film, has time passed the X-Files by, or is there still something the X-Files can say about where we are at?I think that the issues that are addressed are even bigger issues than current events.
What do you love about the character and what do you think other people love about her?It’s almost like Scully has always been this ‘little engine’-- she was this feisty, fiery, intelligent, buster of everything that was strangely appealing to people. In the TV series she was just so different from what people had seen at the time. The show was appealing to so many different kinds of people on so many different levels.
Do you think that Scully was a role model?Absolutely, and I think that was primarily Chris Carter, he was determined in the beginning to keep Scully that way. I remember crying once when I was holding a gun and I got this phone call from Chris to say “Scully wouldn’t cry,” I had to be molded and reminded just who this person is and eventually I got it and she developed and we all grew together. I think that her resilience and her strength, her intelligence and her determination was appealing for lots of young women. And apparently there is a whole new group of people out there who are discovering the show in reruns for the first time, which is awesome.
Is the relationship the heart of the new movie?Like I’m going to answer that!
How much easier is it working with David Duchovny again now you are not on top of each other sixteen hours a day?It is great, it was great then too – it’s like a sibling relationship. It is just a natural relationship and now that we have grown up I think we are more appreciative of the relationship period and the unique experience that we have had together - and that we have an opportunity to continue and foster it. We have always loved each other and we are always going have the occasional battle.
How comfortable are you owning this role that has become such a cultural icon?I feel very fortunate. I started when I was 24, I told them I was 27 to get hired, but I was only 24. I think I had to surround myself with so many survival mechanisms in order to survive at that age when I had only done a little bit of theater, it was intense. People would say to me in interviews, “What a whirlwind life you have had.” I didn’t even have enough of a perspective to stand back and go (sounds amazed), “Yeah man.” My response was like (sounds matter of fact), “Yeah.”
We heard this film is very focused on relationships so how does the supernatural elements and the relationship stuff work hand in hand in this film?I do think they have done a really really good job of touching on all the elements that need to be important for this film to make sense to people and to stand alone.
What is the biggest difference between Scully now, and the last time we saw her?I think she is more relaxed. I think she has made some choices in her life that have allowed her to do what she most wants to do, and that has mellowed her a little bit. She hasn’t lost any of her determination and passion about things by any stretch but she is mellowed a bit.
How is life in London?It’s really good, it is excellent, I like it very much.
Are you going to stay in London?Yes I am, I love that city.
What next?I have done a couple of comedies recently, which I have been wanting to do for a long time. For me it is about diversity, the quality of the work and also about schedule. It’s not that I am lazy but my main objective is to continue a decent balance in terms of work.
