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File 2: Gillian Anderson
Interview by Christina Larmer
March 1996

Christina: Why do you think you were chosen for the role?

Gillian Anderson: (thinks for ages) I've never actually been asked that question before. Obviously Chris Carter saw something in me that was akin to the character he had written - I'm sure that's mostly what it is. I think there is a seriousness about me - to a fault sometimes - that was appropriate for the character, so perhaps that helped.

Christina: How would you describe Scully?

Gillian Anderson: Um, strong, highly intelligent, independent, self-assugold, kind, compassionate, honest. There's a pretty specific formula from the beginning who these characters are and Chris has been pretty adamant about us staying close to that. And over time we have fallen into them and they become second nature.

Christina: I saw you eat a live cricket in an episode. Does it get gory often?

Gillian Anderson: Well, it does get gory. It got gory in an episode that a couple of weeks ago where somebody spat this gooey slime onto my face. And there was another show where they did special effects and a guy's hand actually came out through my hand, and there was a lot of blood that was coming out of my mouth and I had black contact lenses in. So that's where it gets physically exhausting, you know, when you're screaming or doing some kind of physical thing over and over again. It can get kind of tiring. And I have gotten spooked out a few times, yeah.

Christina: How would you like the show to develop?

Gillian Anderson: I think they're doing a great job as it is. I mean, some stories are more paranormal in nature and have us running around and investigating things and... (her nanny appears at the door with Gillian's daughter Piper) you know what, we're just finishing up here. I'll see you in a minute Piper! (smiles at her baby then gets all serious again) so we have to have the ones that give us all a breath of fresh air in between the heavy duty government secrecy ones.

Christina: Do you get a lot of fan letters from Australia?

Gillian Anderson: Yeah, a lot from Australia. They're all very polite and usually the fans have a lot to say as opposed to the States. Sometimes, you'll get letters, "Hi, I like your show, can I have an autograph?" But from Australia they talk about shows they enjoy or why they like the show.

Christina: Have you ever been to Australia?

Gillian Anderson: No I haven't. But I was thinking that if I don't work the hiatus this year I might go to Australia.

Christina: What do you do between scenes to fill in the hours?

Gillian Anderson: Well it's not usually hours. If there are hours something's gone wrong. You try to get business done, make phone calls, read scripts for the show or other scripts, work on scenes, spend time with my daughter and that's about it.

Christina: What about storylines you want them to delve into that they haven't touched?

Gillian Anderson: I like the shows that are more spiritual in nature, there have been a couple. There was a three-parter that had a lot to do with Indian tradition, spiritual beliefs and healing, and I find that fascinating.

Christina: What would put a smile on Scully's face? We rarely see her smile!

Gillian Anderson: Well there's not much to smile about in the episodes. The times that she has smiled is when there is a moment of something funny between her and Mulder and it's an appropriate situation to actually smile.

Christina: Would you like to see a relationship between Mulder and Scully?

Gillian Anderson: No, we're all adamant that it won't happen.

Christina: Do you like how the show doesn't delve into their personal lives?

Gillian Anderson: I do like it, I think it's appropriate for this particular show. There isn't room with everything that happens in each episode every week for them also to enter into our private lives. That would mean a whole 20 minutes that would need to be devoted to it in one way or another and there just isn't any time to do that.

Christina: If the show ended and they killed off Scully, how would you like to see her go?

Gillian Anderson: Mulder and Scully would be in bed together and they would be abducted at the same time (laughs) Or just kind of disappear between the sheets or something like that - forever. I don't know. It would be a shame not to get them together if the show were suddenly to end. You'd have to give the audience that, I think.

Christina: Finally, what's next for you?

Gillian Anderson: I'm looking at scripts to do a feature film during the hiatus and hopefully something will come that I like. As for after the show's over, I can't plan that far ahead. But it would be nice to go back and do theatre and also to do features.