Five years ago, a twenty-five-year-old Gillian Anderson walked onto the set of the X-Files
a virtual unknown. Chris Carter, the series creator, cast the unemployed young actress as no- nonsense FBI Agent Dana Scully opposite the more-experienced, better-paid David Duchovny. Today. . . the 29-year-old superstar is taking no prisoners. In the last several real-life years, Fox Mulder's serious sidekick had a baby, separated from her husband, and has become wildly successful. What will this season's hottest star do next? Though her punk-rock-past (nose ring, multi-color mohawk, loss of virginity at 13!) has been well documented by the press, it has always seemed like the exaggerated tale of a brand-new ingenue trying to imprint herself on the national psyche. But about 30 seconds after meeting her, you realize that all the stories are true, that she has traded her Doc Marten's but not the do-what-I-want demeanor. Since the X-Files' first season, she has gotten married, after the briefest of courtships, to the show's assistant art director, Clyde Klotz, followed up with an unplanned pregnancy which almost got her removed from the show. But on a happier note, resulted in the birth of her daughter, Piper Maru. Then she, eventually became single once again. For all that, Anderson keeps hurling herself through life, trying to be reflective about her misadventures. Piper's very outgoing. When I was six or seven, something switched, and I closed down quite a biit. I have a very strong memory of myself at her age as being very alive and happy and social. And she's that way. She also likes to get away with things. There's this mischieviousness about her taht I completely identify with myself as a kid. I was and, I wasn't. At that point, I had met Tea, and knew just by the way they were together that there was something different about the relationship than there'd been with the previous girlfriend. So when I heard, I wasn't surprised they got married. But I was surprised that he never told me at first. But I don't tell him stuff either. I mean, he's not in my life that way. He's a friend, and I care about him. And once in a while, we share intimate information. Basically, we just work together. What I also didn't expect is that he called me from New York when he was making his "I'm sorry I didn't tell you" calls. I'd like to say to her, "loosen up. Just be yourself." Wait, that's not true. She is herself, but her life is about work, and not about personal relationships. When she's put into those intimate situations, she's a bit stiff. Last season, there was this episode where Scully gets a tattoo, and this guy she's attracted to is standing right over her, staring into her eyes. And how does she react? Her reactions are all about the pain, and fear that go with getting a tattoo. Now, I for example would have really played up the erotic possibilities of the situation. I would have looked deep into his eyes, and played it up with the sensuality of the pain.
Does your daughter Piper Maru remind you of yourself?
Were you surprised when David married Tea Leoni?
As long as we're on the topic of love: Why is Scully such a failure at affairs of the heart? Do you have any tips that you want to offer her?
This interview was duplicated from the August/September Isssue of Complete Woman.
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