David Duchovny back in 'The X-Files'
By Bruce R. Miller Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, July 25, 2008
Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are drawn back into the world of the X-Files.
LOS ANGELES -- David Duchovny never abandoned "The X-Files."
He just wanted a little time off.
"We did nine years of 11-day episodes, working 14 hours a day," he explains. "It was a lifetime in a decade. I never wanted to see the show go away. I wanted to see it transform into a movie franchise."
Today, that wish is fulfilled. "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" opens in theaters, reuniting Duchovny with Gillian Anderson in what is expected to be a closer look at the relationship Fox Mulder had with Dana Scully.
"What's fascinating about this movie is that it's a thriller and it has an adult relationship at the center of it. There's a long history that we all know about."
Are the two an on-screen couple? The truth is out there, he admits. But he, Anderson and creator Chris Carter aren't talking. "You've got to see the movie," he says with a half smirk.
Today, Duchovny looks more like Mulder's hipper brother. His hair is longer, his clothes are sexier, his manner is hardly as glib.
Blame "Californication," the new Showtime series that finds him as a man with serious issues - commitment issues, indulgence issues, comic issues.
It's a dream job, particularly since Duchovny doesn't have to work as hard as he did on "The X-Files."
"When I left, I never wanted to do another network season, endure 24 episodes. It's a 10-month season. There was no 'Californication' option."
The influx of short-run cable series, however, gave Duchovny the out he was seeking. The schedule was do-able; the time off gave him ample opportunity to try other things - like writing and directing.
Better yet, a series on cable offers full access to things like nudity and profanity - two "Californication" staples.
"It's great to have full access to the full flower of the English language," he says. "We all know curse words are an indispensable part of all of our lives. To be able to play a character who speaks like a real person is freeing. In terms of nudity; I never even think of that. I usually just have a shirt off...I'm rarely nude."
A comedy also lets Duchovny show a side that "The X-Files" revealed only in drips and drabs.
Now, he's able to go for the big laughs without hurting his show's mythology. His Hank Moody is a flawed man.. "He does a lot of things that are wrong...but he doesn't lie...which is powerful." Hank has trouble finding the right woman - largely because the right woman was the first woman.
Mulder, meanwhile, has a great partnership.
Duchovny and Anderson do, too. "Sometimes as actors you work well together and sometimes you don't. We were lucky from the beginning."
When Duchovny left the series, it was never over disagreements with Anderson - who continued on. His decision hinged on the work load.
"The chemistry? That's just luck."
Wife Tea Leoni sees a different David now that "Californication" is in his life and, yes, "she loves the show."
The two have no plans to work together. They don't really even talk about the business. Instead, they enjoy their children and hope "they find their passion, too, no matter what it is."
Another "X-Files" movie? It's entirely possible - if the box office returns are good this weekend.
After he left in 2002, "I knew we couldn't do it right away. It'd take two years for Chris to recover. Then, it'd take him another two years to write it."
Now, the time is right.
Fox Mulder, Duchovny says, is like a relative he would like to visit from time to time.
"I wanted to play the character for longer, just not every day."
He just wanted a little time off.
"We did nine years of 11-day episodes, working 14 hours a day," he explains. "It was a lifetime in a decade. I never wanted to see the show go away. I wanted to see it transform into a movie franchise."
Today, that wish is fulfilled. "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" opens in theaters, reuniting Duchovny with Gillian Anderson in what is expected to be a closer look at the relationship Fox Mulder had with Dana Scully.
"What's fascinating about this movie is that it's a thriller and it has an adult relationship at the center of it. There's a long history that we all know about."
Are the two an on-screen couple? The truth is out there, he admits. But he, Anderson and creator Chris Carter aren't talking. "You've got to see the movie," he says with a half smirk.
Today, Duchovny looks more like Mulder's hipper brother. His hair is longer, his clothes are sexier, his manner is hardly as glib.
Blame "Californication," the new Showtime series that finds him as a man with serious issues - commitment issues, indulgence issues, comic issues.
It's a dream job, particularly since Duchovny doesn't have to work as hard as he did on "The X-Files."
"When I left, I never wanted to do another network season, endure 24 episodes. It's a 10-month season. There was no 'Californication' option."
The influx of short-run cable series, however, gave Duchovny the out he was seeking. The schedule was do-able; the time off gave him ample opportunity to try other things - like writing and directing.
Better yet, a series on cable offers full access to things like nudity and profanity - two "Californication" staples.
"It's great to have full access to the full flower of the English language," he says. "We all know curse words are an indispensable part of all of our lives. To be able to play a character who speaks like a real person is freeing. In terms of nudity; I never even think of that. I usually just have a shirt off...I'm rarely nude."
A comedy also lets Duchovny show a side that "The X-Files" revealed only in drips and drabs.
Now, he's able to go for the big laughs without hurting his show's mythology. His Hank Moody is a flawed man.. "He does a lot of things that are wrong...but he doesn't lie...which is powerful." Hank has trouble finding the right woman - largely because the right woman was the first woman.
Mulder, meanwhile, has a great partnership.
Duchovny and Anderson do, too. "Sometimes as actors you work well together and sometimes you don't. We were lucky from the beginning."
When Duchovny left the series, it was never over disagreements with Anderson - who continued on. His decision hinged on the work load.
"The chemistry? That's just luck."
Wife Tea Leoni sees a different David now that "Californication" is in his life and, yes, "she loves the show."
The two have no plans to work together. They don't really even talk about the business. Instead, they enjoy their children and hope "they find their passion, too, no matter what it is."
Another "X-Files" movie? It's entirely possible - if the box office returns are good this weekend.
After he left in 2002, "I knew we couldn't do it right away. It'd take two years for Chris to recover. Then, it'd take him another two years to write it."
Now, the time is right.
Fox Mulder, Duchovny says, is like a relative he would like to visit from time to time.
"I wanted to play the character for longer, just not every day."
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