Gillian Anderson Reflects on The X-Files and Learning to Appreciate Its Legacy

Gillian Anderson is best known for her iconic role as FBI Agent Dana Scully on The X-Files, but she recently admitted that there was a time when she didn’t fully appreciate the sci-fi series. In a candid chat on the SmartLess podcast, hosted by Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes, Anderson opened up about how overwhelming the show’s success felt during its original run.

"When you're doing something like that, all anybody says is, 'Oh my god. The show. It's amazing!' And after a while, you just don't want to hear it anymore," she confessed. Anderson explained that it wasn’t until years after The X-Files ended that she realized the true impact of the show. “I suddenly got what they were talking about, like, five years after the show ended. I was like, ‘Yeah, that was kinda cool. I was on this really cool show.’”

The X-Files originally aired from 1993 to 2002 and was revived in 2016 for two additional seasons. For most of that time, Anderson portrayed Scully, working alongside David Duchovny’s Fox Mulder to investigate unexplained phenomena. The show earned 15 Emmy Awards and became a cultural touchstone. However, after spending nearly a decade immersed in the role, Anderson was ready for a change.

Reflecting on the long run, she said, "You know what happens when you're on a long-running show? Everything becomes so enmeshed, and you feel like you're living and breathing the entire experience. By the time we were done after nine years, I was well ready for it to be over."

For a while, Anderson compartmentalized her feelings about the series, eager to move on to other projects. "I so wanted to get off it and start doing the things I thought my career was going to be before I said yes to that job," she said, revealing her original aspirations of starring in period dramas and films like those by Merchant Ivory.

Despite her initial reservations, Anderson has come to appreciate what The X-Files did for her career, even though it took her by surprise. "I was so green at the beginning, and so young," she shared in a 2018 interview with Variety. "It was my first professional gig, and I was pulled into this vortex of a hit show."

Since her X-Files days, Anderson has taken on a wide range of roles, including playing Margaret Thatcher in The Crown (2020), Eleanor Roosevelt in The First Lady (2022), and Jean Milburn in Netflix’s Sex Education (2019-2023). Looking back, it's clear that while Anderson may have needed space from The X-Files, its legacy remains an undeniable part of her remarkable journey.

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