1994-95 1996-97 1998 1999-00 2001-03 2004-06

The Midday Show
June 1996
interview by Kerri-Anne Kennerley

KERRI-ANNE: Back to Midday, our special ski-edition, snow edition today. When ah men lust, they really do, they just lust after, women admire her, she has infact become one of those rare beings, an intelligent sex symbol, thanks to Dana Scully in The X-Files.

(Shows a clip from an X-Files episode)

KERRI-ANNE: Ahh there you go, well the star of The X- (Knock on a door), Ahh that must be her right now, star of televisions X-Files, the very X-trodinary Gillian Anderson (Crowd cheers, she enters with a glow of green lights, they both enter and look at a dog on set).

GILLIAN: Is this dog on here all the time?

KERRI-ANNE: Well, sometimes, Reiernan (name could be wrong) goes anywhere she sort of really feels like. Now, Gillian Anderson, ala Dana Scully, welcome to the program.

GILLIAN: Thankyou!

KERRI-ANNE: I know this probably doesn't look normal, and we look abit out there, but it's not X-Files, (laughter) this is Midday.

GILLIAN: Okay, well I was actually amazed by all the snow, because it seems so, it seems so, warm here to me, and to see you pretending it's christmas is very humorus.

KERRI-ANNE: Well we, we just like to do silly things don't we folks? (acknologement from crowd) We do, and this is about as close to winter as we really do get. Umm, obviously, Dana Scully, you've become hugely popular with The uh, The X-Files. Does Gillian Anderson actually believe in the paranormal?.

GILLIAN: I believe in certain aspects of the paranormal, more umm, more on the spiritual side than the paranormal side, umm, I believe in ah ESP, and umm, psycho kenesis (sp), and stuff like that. That people actually have the ability to generate enough energy in themselves to move objects and stuff. Im fascinated by that stuff, there are certain areas that I completely tune off on, that we reach in the show, you know, stuff that I just don't think is possible in any way shape or form.

KERRI-ANNE: Ah huh, has anything weird wonderful, oh and of course this is our resident yeti. (Laughter) Mr Yeti just turn to the camera there...yes, that's our yeti. And all known as Ewan occassionally. Thankyou, oh thats what we wanted (Kerri-Anne picks up the X-Files cube), because these are the new X-Files videos, ahh because your out here for those companies, and also they're on Foxtel at the moment, but I mean has anything really weird and wonderful ever happened to you? Slightly weird?

GILLIAN: Weird and wonderful?

KERRI-ANNE: Well, weird! (They both laugh). Let's just start with weird, I know wonderful things have happened, but whats weird?

GILLIAN: Umm, nothing really weird has ever happened to me, I wish that they had so I could talk about them (she laughs).

KERRI-ANNE: But you do believe in ESP?

GILLIAN: Ahh, yeah I do.

KERRI-ANNE: Have you had preminitions?

GILLIAN: I haven't had preminitions, well, once and awhile in my life I've had a dream, and I've, and then it's come true, but nothing so substantial that I could tell you about it right now, umm mostly little coincidences in life that happen, you know where you think oh I was just thinking about that person and then you run into them. You know just mild boring stuff.

KERRI-ANNE: Dana, with your life in the last couple of years....

(Gillian leans over and interrupts)

GILLIAN: You what, know you can call me Gillian...

(Kerri-Anne takes her hand and apologises)

KERRI-ANNE: Oh Im sorry, Dana Scully, Im talking, (Gillian laughs) I mean Im so addicted to The X-Files, Gillian, in the last couple of years, 93 is when The X-Files started, ah you've like had this fairy-tale rise, you were virtually unemployed, ah, and went from waiting tables into a huge television show, your own show, did you realise how important it was when you started that?

GILLIAN: No, I don't think that I did. I think that if I had realised it, umm, I wouldn't have been able to handle it, you know, I think that thats one thing is is that we're shooting in Vancouver, and so it's not in Los Angeles, it doesn't have the same degree of height all the time that it would if we were shooting down there, so we're seperated enough that it was a gradual rise for us and also because umm, it was a gradual rise for the show period, you know, it was considered purely a cult sucess at the with very few viewers at the beginning, and then it builit up and built up to a main stream show, so we all had very kind of, comfortable ride umm,forwards and upwards, it wasnt as crazy as it could have been.

KERRI-ANNE: And after reading some research Gillian, I understand that you are a far more down to earth person because I get the impression that you are far more interested in your life, rather than in a movie-star television life, for instance just really in the first year, you got married. Infact you met your husband on the set!

GILLIAN: I did (Smiles)

KERRI-ANNE: How did that happen?

GILLIAN: Well he was working on the show, and umm, and I was working on the show, and I saw him walking around one day, and I asked somebody who he was and what he was about, and somehow we ended up umm, going to dinner and ahh, getting married (Laughter) and having a baby (more laughter).

KERRI-ANNE: And it was pretty quick too.

GILLIAN: It was, it was very quick.

KERRI-ANNE: What does he do on the show?

GILLIAN: He was one of the art directors on the show. And then ahh, shortly after we got married, he quit, he felt like it was a conflict of interest, for us to be both working on the same show, and so he moved on and has been designing films, and ahh MOW's, and right now he's working for a company, called Mainframe Entertainment, which does a show called Reboot in the States, which is completely computer animated childrens show. And so he's been designing shows for them.

KERRI-ANNE: And in the very first years of X-Files, you fell pregnant. And now there's a lot of... (Gillian interrupts)

GILLIAN: Fell pregnant? Very interesting term (Laughter in the audience)

KERRI-ANNE: Well, you became pregnant...

GILLIAN: I was struck pregnant (more laughter from audience)

KERRI-ANNE: Well it sort of really doesn't hit you does it? Oh maybe sometimes. Ahh, but I mean thats an interesting move, because your life was far more important than your career, were you prepared to give up the television show if the produces had said "nope, we don't want a pregnant Dana Scully".

GILLIAN: Yeah, yeah I was. When I discovered that I had fallen pregnant, (Smiles), umm, I really had to make a descision for myself, whether it was something that I wanted, and I was determined to make it work, because I coudldn't see not going through with it, umm, for myself, and trust that whatever the produces decided was, umm, was how it was going to be, and that was going to be okay.

KERRI-ANNE: Infact, they relished the thought almost, didn't they?

GILLIAN: Well, no, (smiles), I don't think they relished the (laughs) thought at all.

KERRI-ANNE: But they worked around you?

GILLIAN: They did, they tried very very hard, to make it work, and umm, they umm, especially the crew at that time, the crew was incredibly supportive, umm you know, I'd be standing up for a shot, and then they'd run they'd run over an apple box, which is a box that im normally standing on because of my height, but umm, they'd run one over to me to sit on, to rest my feet and stuff, and they were just wonderfull. They brought over a cot inbetween scenes I'd sleep on the cot.

KERRI-ANNE: Who was the first person you told besides your husband? On the show?

GILLIAN: umm, my mom. But the first person on the show was David, that I told.

KERRI-ANNE: And uhh, of course women around the world absolutely love and adore David Duchovny. How well do you two get along? Clearly it must be a fairly warm relationship if he was one of the first people you confided in.

GILLIAN: Well I confided in him first mostly, I mean we are close, but I confided in him mostly because I knew that I had to go to the producers, and that was a terrifying concept to me, and so I wanted to experience, umm, somebody elses reaction who was close to the show, and his was, I mean it's like his knee's were knocked out from him, and we just kind of had to steady himself for a second, umm, but ahh, we are close, we know eachother very well now, because of umm, the intensity of the work, and the fact that we work together you know, 14 hours a day, almost every single day and umm, so we're close in that respect, we don't hang out together on weekends, I spend time with my family and he does what he does.

KERRI-ANNE: In terms of the show, you have done some weird and wonderful things, you ate a live cricket once?

GILLIAN: I didn't, I have to clarify that, I didn't swallow it. (laughter)

KERRI-ANNE: (leans over) But you actually...put it in (moves hand towards her mouth)?

GILLIAN: I did put it in my mouth. Well, you see, you have to imagine the situation (laughs) if this is going to make it any better. Umm, they had spent like $1400 dollars to make these chocolate crickets for me, which were about that big, and the real crickets were about that big (makes size motions) and so, umm, we were on the set, and there was this guy called the Konundrum , umm, who is, not only has puzzle pieces tattoed over his entire body, but he is umm, he is chomping on crickets, he pours like a huge jar full of crickets into his mouth, they're crawling up his head and down his back, and you know, and he offers me one, and like I'm not going to take one out, and put it in my mouth? (smiles) when he's eating hundreds of them infront of me? So it was, kind of a self imposed challenge. But as soon as I turned my back from camera I pugh (makes spitting motion) spit it out. (laughter)

KERRI-ANNE: Well umm, this is our little ski-show, here today, Gillian. And you know who we have , we've got Stephen Lee, who is an Australian champion, world champion, a legend in this country, and we have got a couple of ski-machines, do you ski?

GILLIAN: I have.

KERRI-ANNE: You have skied?.

GILLIAN: I've never skied in heals though I might add (smiles).

KERRI-ANNE: Oh we can take the heels off, or we can find some snow shoes for you! (Gillian laughs) Would you , would you stay and have abit of fun on the ski machine? You know there's like, timezone races?.

GILLIAN: I might, Im not exactly sure how much time we have, so if I dont come back, it's because I haven't been able to stay, but we might be able to.

KERRI-ANNE: Okay, well we can make time can't we? (Looks to audience while they shout and agree). But it's terrific to have you on the program, becuse Im a huge fan, I know most of Australia is, and see these kids over here (motions to kids) we've got a bunch of kids sitting infront our orchestra, they have been literally hanging off the fences of our stuido today, we couldn't get enough seats for everyone to sit in, to see you. I actually thought it was me for a minute, and then I was really depressed to find out it was for you (laughter). But ah, enjoy the rest of your stay in Australia, and ah, with abit of luck you can stay and have abit of fun on the machines with us. But ah, don't forget you can see X-Files on Foxtel, and or watch your own copies, these are the ones that our little yeti bought in, ahh, and there's a special X-Files collection edition thats there, available now. Please thank our hero, Gillian Anderson (audience cheers).