The X-Files
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The Cast: Annabeth Gish


annabeth gish Annabeth Gish joined the cast of The X-Files for a three-episode arc beginning with "This is Not Happening" (8X14).

Born in New Mexico, Annabeth has appeared in the feature films "Double Jeopardy", "Beautiful Girls", "Nixon" and "Mystic Pizza" with Julia Roberts and Lili Taylor from the "Mind's Eye" episode. She was busy during 2000, filming "Race To Space", "Morning" and "Buying The Cow".

Other movie roles include "Desert Bloom", "Hiding Out", "Coupe De Ville" and "Wyatt Earp".

Annabeth first gained attention at the age of 13 when she appeared in the film Desert Bloom. She then went on to star in Mystic Pizza and Shag before taking a break from her career to study at Duke University, where she earned her Cum Laude degree in English. Upon her return to Hollywood, Annabeth was immediately cast in the film Wyatt Earp and the television mini-series Scarlett. No stranger to television, Annabeth has appeared in a number of films and mini-series on the small screen, including True Women and Sealed With a Kiss for CBS, VH1’s The Way She Moves, Lifetime’s Different, and the PBS Masterpiece Theater classic, A Death in the Family. She was also a regular on the series Courthouse. Annabeth’s feature film roles include Double Jeopardy, S.L.C. Punk, Beautiful Girls, Nixon and The Last Supper.

Special Agent Monica Reyes
annabeth gish Special Agent Monica Reyes is called in by Doggett to work on the Mulder abduction case. Her background with the FBI's New Orleans field office involves ritualistic crimes and satanic cults. She also has a history with Doggett.

"She is quite unlike any of the other agents," Chris Carter said. "She has been neither a firm believer nor a major skeptic."

Although born in Austin, Texas, Monica Reyes was adopted by Mexican parents and raised in Mexico. She has never identified her birth parents. She majored in folklore and mythology at Brown University, earning her bachelors and masters degrees in four years. After considering an academic career, she instead enrolled at Quantico in 1990. Reyes’ first FBI assignment was to serve on a special task force investigating claims of Satanic ritual abuse. None of the charges was ever substantiated, and a report was issued in 1992. Reyes then served in the New York City field office, where among her cases was the kidnapping of 8 year-old Luke Doggett, son of New York City police officer John Doggett. The boy was eventually found dead, but no suspect was ever apprehended. In 1999, she transferred to the New Orleans field office. She remained there until the former cop-turned FBI Agent Doggett convinced her to accept a post on the X-files unit in Washington, DC. Agent Monica Reyes appears in:


Article from TV Guide
The Truth About Scully's New "Rival"

As if an unexpected pregnancy and the loss of her longtime partner weren't enough for Scully (Gillian Anderson) to contend with this season on The X-Files, Sunday's introduction of sexy sleuth Monica Reyes (played by Annabeth Gish) may finally push the perpetually put-upon G-woman over the edge.

"There is tension in the beginning because I am sort of the new girl on the block," Gish tells TV Guide Online. "But my character makes it very clear that I'm of no threat. I'm not coming in to try and take over [Scully's] division."

So, why is she invading Scully's heavily-trod turf? An expert in ritualistic crimes, Gish's alter ego is summoned by Agent Doggett (Robert Patrick) to help solve a case tied to the disappearance of Mulder (David Duchovny). And while the 31-year-old actress reveals that Reyes and Doggett do indeed have an existing relationship, the nature of their bond remains a question mark. "There is the suggestion of a romance," Gish teases. "But mainly we [once] worked on a case together involving the loss of his son, so bringing me in helps to illuminate his past as well."

The new agent's presence also promises to lighten things up on the notoriously dark and dour series. "[Reyes] is very warm and sunny... she has a spiritual perspective to her work and her life," explains Gish, who co-starred with Julia Roberts in 1988's Mystic Pizza. "I think they're just trying to breathe a little levity into the show with my character."

Gish signed on for four episodes and is slated to become a regular next season — should X-Files creator Chris Carter decide to continue on for a ninth year. "It's all up in the air," she offers. "Hopefully [it] will happen. I'm just having such a wonderful time, and it's a family I'd love to continue to work with."

That said, although speculation has it that Doggett and Reyes are being groomed as the next Mulder and Scully (Duchovny is not expected to stick around beyond this season and Anderson's contract expires in a year), Gish is too busy fulfilling her current commitment to ponder what the future might hold. "After 16 years of working in this business, this is the hardest thing I've ever done, just in terms of the hours and the amount of work and the way it consumes your life," she sighs of the X-Files grind. "It's like they make a little movie every week, 14- to 16-hour days are the norm, and it is quite grueling."

by Michael Ausiello

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