Interview with Gillian and David at Rotten Tomatoes
Posted at 6:36 AM (PST) on Tuesday, February 26, 2008

by Christina Troup
February 25, 2008
Rotten Tomatoes

How does it feel to be part of a show that's become so iconic?

DD: It's been a long enough time now. We don't expect it, but [it's] certainly not surprising.

GA: I think there's a new level of appreciation, at least for me, in just realizing how big it was. I get that. I think at the time I couldn't fathom it, it was too much to fathom.

DD: We were insulated, we were working on it and it was kind of all consuming. We didn't get out amongst the people that enjoyed the show.

What can you tell us about the movie?

DD: Should we just tell them the whole plot? [Laughs and looks at Gillian.]

GA: I'm tired of fighting it.

DD: I want to tell the truth.

GA: Well, we-

DD: There are different genres I think of X-Files shows. There's horror, there's thriller, there's comedic, there's alien-oriented. And there are kind of mixed genres among those. I think this is more the classic, as Chris was pointing to, like the beginnings of the show. This is more a return to the horror-thriller genre of what the X-Files started out at as.

What's the WonderCon experience been like for you? Are you ready to handle the attention that's sure to come after the release of the film?

GA: It's a wonderful feeling to know that there are still people out there who are going to go out and actually see this film when it comes out. There's enthusiasm and a desire to see it, that's rewarding and a bit of relief.

DD: It was always my hope that we would get to do one of these every five or six years. That's exactly how long ago it's been since the show. When I was getting off the television show I was never like, "Screw the television show, screw this character, screw you." I love the show, I love working with Gillian, I love Chris, I love the characters. If we can pull that off that would be great. And if not I'm perfectly happy with the amount of work we've done as Mulder and Scully. We've done a lot. In a way, I felt like this was win-win. If it continues on, fantastic. If it goes away, we did a lot.

Much more at Rotten Tomatoes.

X-Files Reunion Emotional
Posted at 6:32 AM (PST) on Tuesday, February 26, 2008

By Patrick Lee
SCI FI Wire
February 26, 2008

The producers of the upcoming X-Files sequel told SCI FI Wire that they got emotional when stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson showed up for an informal "table read" of the script, reuniting for the first time since the hit Fox series went off the air in 2002.

"A month before we started filming, maybe six weeks, David and Gillian came in and read the script at [director] Chris [Carter's] kitchen table, and it was emotional to hear them say those words," writer/producer Frank Spotnitz said in a group interview at WonderCon in San Francisco over the weekend.

"And then a week later, we had camera tests at Chris' house, and [Anderson's] hair was red again, and David had ... got his hair cut like Mulder again, and it was like, 'Oh, my.' It was like bringing back the dead, in a way, or like finding somebody who'd gone missing for six years. So, to me, it feels very powerful."

Carter, who created the show and co-wrote the sequel, had a similar reaction. "I actually was moved," Carter said between yawns (he flew directly to WonderCon on Saturday after wrapping an all-night shoot at 6 o'clock that morning in Vancouver, Canada).

"It's funny, because ... we've been through so much together, and to ... come back [from] what I would call a really good vacation away from it was a really nice thing," Carter added. "And it allows us to start fresh. ... When you're doing the TV series, you are doing it--for me it was 11 and a half months a year. You take two weeks off, and then you go right back at it. It was nice to take that breather and come back at this fresh and rejuvenated."

Despite a six-year hiatus, both Spotnitz and Carter--who were both executive producers of the long-running TV series--said they had no problem writing the characters of FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully again.

"I know it was sort of startling to me how deep my connection still was to the characters after all of this time and how much it mattered to me what's become of them and what they think and what they would do," Spotnitz said. "It felt vital to me, and it felt very interesting, and it was ... really fun. It was really very enjoyable, working on the story and reconvening with them again."

Gillian and David at WonderCon
Posted at 6:37 AM (PST) on Sunday, February 24, 2008

Anderson Finds Scully Again
February 24, 2008
Patrick Lee, News Editor
Sci Fi Wire

Gillian Anderson, who reprises the role of FBI agent Dana Scully in the upcoming sequel to The X-Files film, told SCI FI Wire that it took her a while to reacquaint herself with the character she last played in 2002, when the long-running Fox TV series went off the air.

Anderson strove over the intervening years to distance herself from the character with which she had been associated for so long to the point that it took her about two days to allow Scully to re-emerge, she said.

"It's an interesting conundrum to deal with on a daily basis, and sometimes it's pleasurable, and sometimes it's just too confusing," Anderson said in an interview at WonderCon in San Francisco on Feb. 23. "And, also, doing it for a film is different from doing it for a television series. We've only done one other film, and there's a difference in lifting something to the big screen, I think, to wrap one's brain around that when one's brain is actually used to doing the TV more. It's kind of odd."

Anderson plays Scully opposite co-star David Duchovny's Fox Mulder in the upcoming second film, which is currently shooting in Vancouver, Canada, under director and series creator Chris Carter. The story picks up with the characters as if the years since the show ended had really passed.

Duchovny, similarly, said it was a challenge to bring Mulder back to life. "It's an interesting challenge as an actor to do something [like this]," he said. "It's not quite like being in a play, where you're recreating the character every night from the beginning, but it is something like that, I would imagine. It's something closer to that than making a film that's a one-off. There's a certain kind of honoring of the past work that you've done. ... You don't want to explode the character just because you don't remember, [or] because you're bored. And then you also want to honor the fact that the person has had five years of a life happening. So it's tricky. It's interesting. That makes it interesting."

The second X-Files movie, whose plot is being kept tightly under wraps, opens July 25.

PHOTOS.
Thanks to Philiater and Gilly!

Message from Gillian
Posted at 7:09 AM (PST) on Saturday, February 23, 2008

All writers take note!

There is a writer's workshop at one of my favorite places in the world, Hollyhock, where Elizabeth Rosner -- whom you all must know by now -- wrote The Speed Of Light which I am yes, still in the process of adapting.

GO! Soak in her wisdom, soak naked in the communal hot tub, and have a magical vegetarian experience.

Writing Deeper: Finding your Voice
Presented by: Elizabeth Rosner
June 13 - 20, 2008

Hollyhock is nestled between the forest and ocean on the south-eastern tip of Cortes Island, British Columbia, about 160 kilometres (100 miles) north of Vancouver.

Coming Soon: National Doodle Day in the UK
Posted at 2:21 PM (PST) on Thursday, February 14, 2008

Friday, March 7th, is National Doodle Day in the United Kingdom. They'll be auctioning off over 200 doodles generously donated by stars of the stage and screen, athletes, authors, artists, and musicians.

Click on these names to see the artwork of some of this year's doodlers:

Piper Anderson-Klotz: Daughter of Gillian Anderson and an accomplished 5th time doodler!

Margaret Atwood: Author of books including The Blind Assassin, Cat's Eye, Oryx and Crake and The Handmaid's Tale.

Jim Broadbent: Oscar winning actor; star of Iris and Moulin Rouge. Credits also include The Chronicles of Narnia, Hot Fuzz, Bridjet Jones: The Edge of Reason. You'll see him next in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Dirty Tricks as Richard Nixon.

Frederick Forsythe: Author of thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Dogs of War, The Fist of God, Icon and, most recently, The Afghan.

Ricky Gervais: writer, producer, director, and actor - recently seen in Night at the Museum and Stardust; author of the Flanimals, best selling children's books.

Terry Gilliam: Member of Monty Python, award-winning writer, animator and director of Brazil, The Fisher King and Twelve Monkeys.

Jane Horrocks: Star of the film Little Voice; credits include Absolutely Fabulous and Never Mind the Horrocks.

John Le Carre: Author whose novels include The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, the Tailor of Panama and The Constant Gardener, all of which have subsequently been filmed either for the big screen or for TV.

Joanna Lumley: Star of Absolutely Fabulous, Sapphire and Steel, The New Avengers and Jam and Jerusalem.

Sir Ian McKellan: Actor, played Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Magneto in the X-Men. Founded the Actors' Company and has appeared on stage in England and Broadway winning a Tony Award and two Oscar nominations.

Bill Nighy: Actor, star of Love Actually, Underworld, Shaun of the Dead and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Graham Norton: Comedian and chat show host. Star of So Graham Norton and The Graham Norton Effect.

Nick Park: Animator, creator of Wallace & Grommit.

Christopher Plummer: Best known for his portrayal as Captain Von Trapp in the film The Sound of Music - a part he disliked - he has had a long and distinguished career both on stage and screen both in England and the USA.

Imelda Staunton: Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Vera Drake in the film of the same name. More recently played Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Tom Wilkinson: Character actor, star of The Full Monty and Shakespeare in Love. Received an Oscar nomination for his performance in In The Bedroom. Recently received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance in Michael Clayton.

LOTS more doodles here. They also have autographed photos of Daniel Radcliffe, best known as Harry Potter and Emma Bunton, Baby Spice.

All monies raised by National Doodle Day UK will support the work of two registered charities in England: The Neurofibromatosis Association and the British Epilepsy Association.

GA, DD, CC, & FS at WonderCon in San Francisco
Posted at 6:59 AM (PST) on Tuesday, February 12, 2008

WonderCon Features the Best of Comics and Hollywood

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- WonderCon, Northern California's largest comic book and popular arts convention today announced additional special guests for the February 22-24, 2008 convention to be held in San Francisco.

"It's a pretty spectacular line-up," said David Glanzer, spokesperson for the non-profit event. "Hollywood is very familiar with our sister show Comic-Con in San Diego, and they know we have a long history of being able to deliver audiences for their presentations. Besides having the very best in comics guests and programming, Hollywood has really taken notice and made WonderCon a must attend event."

With comics guests such as Sergio Aragones, Kurt Busiek, Mike Choi, Becky Cloonan, Darwyn Cooke, Terry Dodson, Mark Evanier, Jim Lee, Steve Leialoha, David Mack, Terry Moore, Noel Neill, Tim Sale, J. Michael Straczynski, Ben Templesmith, Bruce Timm, Herb Trimpe, Bill Willingham, and Brian Wood, WonderCon features some of the biggest names and most popular creators in the comic book world.

Hollywood is set to make a big splash as they bring several high profile films and television series to WonderCon with sneak peeks and special guests. Scheduled to appear are stars Kristen Bell and Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall); Brendan Fraser (Journey To The Center Of The Earth 3D); Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway (Get Smart); Jon Favreau, director of Iron Man; Andrew Stanton, director of WALL*E; and Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz along with stars Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny of the new X-Files movie. Anderson and Duchovny are making their first-ever joint convention appearance at WonderCon. From television, stars Ashley Scott and Lennie James (CBS' Jericho) and Thomas Dekker and Summer Glau (Fox's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) come to WonderCon to talk about their respective hit series.

Add to that the exclusive world premiere screening of the animated Justice League: The New Frontier, and the first screening of the American DVD version of Appleseed: Ex Machina, and it's no surprise that WonderCon is one of the most eagerly anticipated shows on the comic convention circuit.

WonderCon will be held Friday though Sunday, February 22-24 2008 as Moscone Center South, 747 Howard Street, in downtown San Francisco. For additional information please visit www.comic-con.org and click the WonderCon icon.

WonderCon is operated by Comic-Con International, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation for, comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture.