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

Entertainment Tonight
June, 1998

For the last five years, GILLIAN ANDERSON has mesmerized TV audiences playing sultry skeptic Dana Scully on the hit show, "The X-Files." Since she began the series at the age of 24, she's gotten married (to art director Clyde Klotz), given birth to a daughter (Piper Maru) and gotten divorced. Now, she's making the leap to the big screen in 'X-Files Movie,' the movie version of the TV phenomenon. Entertainment Tonight recently sat down with Gillian to discuss her new movie. GILLIAN ANDERSON is taking a break from her weekly chores as Agent Dana Scully on "The X Files" to star opposite SHARON STONE in the heartwarming fable 'The Mighty.' Take a look, through Gillian's wild imagination, at the making of this film.

CHRIS: Congratulations on this. It's awesome.

GILLIAN: Do you like it?

CHRIS: Yeah it's great. So you guys have had to stay hush hush on this thing the last year. Now you finally get all this time to talk about it. Was it tough not giving away any of the plot lines?

GILLIAN: You know it wasn't. It was easy because I'd do interviews and all I'd have to say was "You know what, I can't talk about it." They made it very easy on us.

CHRIS: So there was never any time where you almost slipped up and gave away something?

GILLIAN: You know what, there were a few times when I would mention something about Cornfields, and I would say "Hey, can I talk about Cornfields?" but I don't know whether I actually gave anything away or if anyone was listening.

CHRIS: Now you have the opportunity to talk about it. Is it nice to finally be able to?

GILLIAN: Well I can't. Still there are things that I just can't talk about because I don't want to ruin it for anybody.

CHRIS: You know it looked like a tough shoot.. This did not look like it was one of those, peach screen Vaseline on the lens type of really glamorous shoots. You were getting carried around, you got goo all over you. Was it as tough as it looked?

GILLIAN: It wasn't that bad, no. I mean we are used to 14 to 16 hours a day, five days a week 9.5months out of the year. So when you put that next to a shoot when you are only shooting two pages as opposed to seven or nine pages a day and you've got long breaks in between while they are setting up all the lights and dealing with the special effects. It just doesn't seem all that bad. Now I have to preface that by saying I had an easier schedule than David [Duchovny] did and he may have experienced it differently. But that was my experience. So I kind of felt like I was on vacation while we were shooting this.

CHRIS: So you would have to say, you weren't as tired doing the movie as you were during the TV show?

GILLIAN:
CHRIS: Piece of cake? Even when you were getting bounced around in the car after the explosion and ....

GILLIAN: Oh that stuff is fun. I mean we did the bouncing around in the car for the entire day. That was a big thing that we did during that day. Where as if we were shooting the series, It would have been that plus a summary, plus a helicopter, plus going into prosthetics for 25 hours. I mean there is no comparison.

CHRIS: Did it make you kind of sit back and say "Hey, these movie stars, they've got it easy?" Us TV folk, we work for a living.

GILLIAN: Umm absolutely. But I already knew that.

CHRIS: Um did it surprise you at all. Maybe look back at when you first read the script. Did it surprise you at all, the plot tie ins from way back when you first started the TV show. How it resurfaced and was all intertwined in the movie?

GILLIAN: Um I don't think it was surprising. I mean if I ever get surprised by with what read its just amazement at Chris [Carter's] ability to do what he does. I think that I enjoyed the film as a whole, better than I enjoyed the script to begin with. It plays as a film so powerfully and is so exciting and is so tight and so big and so fast. I don't remember thinking its going to be that enjoyable when I initially read it. Which is not to say that the script was bad. It's just that it far exceeded any of my expectations which is the best seat to be sitting in.

CHRIS: Now have you seen it on the big screen yet?

GILLIAN: Yes! That's what I'm talking about.

CHRIS: I didn't know if maybe you saw it on a small screen or what not. What did you think when you walked out of it. I know you just said that it far exceeded your expectations but do you sit back and say Holy Mackeroly?

GILLIAN: I was excited. I was excited for everybody. I was so excited for Chris and for Rob Bowmen. I thought that Rob did just an exceptional job and the special effects were the best that I think have been seen on a film yet. I mean special effects are getting better all the time. The next movie that is made is probably going to be even better than our movie but in terms. Oh you know what I mean. I ought to shut up.

CHRIS: Do you think that that's the big difference between the movie and the TV show, is you can just do stuff on a grander scale?

GILLIAN: Absolutely. There is more money, the scope is bigger, the screen is bigger. You get to see stuff on screen on the left on the right, in the middle on the top, on the bottom that you don't get to see on the TV Show

CHRIS: What do you think was the toughest part do you think, making a movie like this? When you've got a great TV audience but sometimes its tough to get those TV people to come out to movie theaters and broadcast to a bigger audience. Was there any time when you said "I wonder if people who aren't X-Files fans are going to latch onto this?

GILLIAN: Well I think that it was a question that we definitely all had and I think that it was a challenge and a task that Chris had to develop a script that would appeal to both a preexisting audience and an audience that had never seen any episode of the show and maybe not even know who Mulder and Scully are. That is something that he has accomplished phenomenally. Most of the reporters I have talked to have said, "I've only seen a couple of episodes, but I've seen this film and it is phenomenal and its going to make me go back and want to watch the show." Including you! So I think that we've covered all our bases here.

CHRIS: Now do you think if David wasn't married he would have asked "Yeah why don't we kiss in this one?" Do you think that now that he is married he may have a new philosophy in life?

GILLIAN: No I think David is dedicated to doing the work that is appropriate in front of him . And we ...... sorry (laughs)

CHRIS: Moving on (laughs) You play a tough gal. In the beginning you are barking out orders like you are the head of an army. Are you that tough in real life, I mean can you boss people around?

GILLIAN: Yeah (laughs)

CHRIS: On the set of the show are you barking out orders like that? Or is this a nice departure for you that you get to yell out orders?

GILLIAN: It is a nice departure where I don't yell at people very much but I think Scully has taught me to yell at people. If I were to ever yell at somebody, I would take some notes from her. I guess.

CHRIS: It has got to be nice though, because you seem like a very soft spoken person. To be able to just get out there and be on that walkie talkie barking stuff at people. "Gimme the police. Get him OUT OF HERE!"

GILLIAN: It feels pretty good.

CHRIS: Are those the fun scenes for you? Do you like doing action scenes like that or do you like dialogue?

GILLIAN: I do like doing actions stuff. I like doing certain action things. I don't like, well I won't tell you what I don't like, but certain action scenes are a lot of fun and I like doing the more heady deep intimate stuff.

CHRIS: Now how about that scene where they were pulling that cord out of your mouth?

GILLIAN: That corn?

CHRIS: Cord!

GILLIAN: Cord. Oh yeah what about it. (laughs)

CHRIS: What about that day. You were just covered in slime.

GILLIAN: Well those days, they get a little uncomfortable. I mean at certain times it gets a little tiresome. It is a bit of a nuisance to have stuff flying in your face and to be swallowing some of the goo that is around your mouth and having to do it over and over again, and stuff doesn't work and you know but on the whole. We are getting paid some good bucks to do what we have to do in this movie so no complaints.

CHRIS: So now some of the scenes where David has to carry you around through the poles etc. and he has you in the fireman's carrying position were there any mishaps there? Did he drop you and fall or was he pretty good about making sure you were comfortable at all times?

GILLIAN: I think that, hmm I don't think he dropped me once, I don't think. You know originally it was the other way around, I was carrying him but I was wearing these really high heels and I kept slipping on the ice and so they had to change the roles, and also my close wouldn't fit him so they had to change.

CHRIS: He's a dainty little fellow. He can squeeze into some . Now the cold weather scenes, sound stages right? You weren't cold or anything like that.

GILLIAN: Yes isn't that unbelievable?

CHRIS: Amazing. You didn't have to brave any of the elements?

GILLIAN: Well there was one scene, I think in some of the final shots where we did where I had to have my face pressed against the ice for an exorbitant amount of time and that was probably my least favorite few minutes of the entire filming of the film. I mean my face was literally as hard as a rock when I was done, and I stood in front of a heater and then dethawed for a while and then knocked the shit out of Bowmen.

CHRIS: Yeah, you're an actor for god sakes! They shouldn't make you do that. You've left open a lot of doors for a sequel. Have they brought it up yet? Have they talked about doing something?

GILLIAN: Um no we haven't talked about it. Its been brought up a few times as a possibility and I am sure that somebody is going to start discussing it soon. I'm up for it under certain conditions.

CHRIS: Now the show is being moved to LA. You get a chance to uproot. I know you had a house in Vancouver didn't you.

GILLIAN: Yes I still do.

CHRIS: So are you going to keep the house? OR do you and Piper have to find a place down here, or have you already?

GILLIAN: We have found a place down here, I am keeping my house up there for the mean time. I don't quite feel like I have relocated to LA yet. But I am anticipating that feeling soon, hopefully.

CHRIS: You knew it was coming. I mean when I was up there last. Maybe in November. Was it relief when you finally heard or was it a headache?

GILLIAN: No it was a relief. It kind of trickled in. It happened in a strange way. It was going to happen, and it wasn't going to happen and then when it finally did: I had to shake myself and say "Did I hear what I just heard?" and "Is this really the truth? Is this really going to happen?" and I do remember a definite moment of joy and relief that was happening. Coupled of course with a great sadness of having to leave Vancouver and all the people we worked with.

CHRIS: Final movie question for you. You've seen the movie, you seem really excited about it, are you really psyched that people are finally going to get the chance to see this during the summer box office wars?

GILLIAN: I am excited for people to see it because it seems like a lot of people are anxious to see the film and I think that we've really put together a really good film for them to watch.

CHRIS: And I guess the one last question to ask is the American Film Institute is doing a thing on stars' favorite 100 movies and we would just like to tell us...

GILLIAN: You want me to tell you my favorite 100 movies?

CHRIS: Yes we've got about 1.5 hours to kill (laughs) no just your favorite one. If you can choose.

GILLIAN: Oh Gosh. Umm I'd have to say that Cinema Paradiso is up there, um The Piano um can I say a bunch cause its not fair. There's lots of movies that are great!

CHRIS: Perfecto, great. That's it for now. Thank you very much.