The X-Files
Australian Conne-X-ion
Australian Media
April 1997

Gillian Anderson

This girl is on top of the world. Not only does The X-Files' Gillian Anderson work with sexy Mulder, she's also just won a Golden Globe for her performance as Scully. Santi Pintado sat the hot redhead down to talk about aliens, David D and… scuba diving!

When the X-Files first started, did you ever expect it to be so huge?
No, I think all of us were expecting it to only go for 13 episodes- or maybe even a year at the most.

Did you laugh when you first heard that your surname on the show was going to be Scully?
No. I don't know where they got it from, but I think the names they chose are very original and realistic.

What makes Scully so appealing?
I guess people are attracted to the character and when people started considering Scully as a sex symbol of any kind, it was very shocking to me because I didn't see her in that way at all.

Sexy redheads are actually few and far between. Ever thought of dyeing your hair a different colour?
Well. I think the producers are pretty set on Scully being a redhead. I thought for a while of putting some blonde streaks through my hair, but we've determined that Agent Scully is a redhead and I don't think she'd dye her hair at all.

When Scully and Mulder first met, she was tough and didn't take any crap from him. How does Gillian Anderson react when guys try to pick her up?
Mmm…yeah, it depends if I find them attractive or not. If I feel like I'm being bothered, I'll be short with them. If I like them, that's a different story.

What would it take for Scully and Mulder to get together?
A lot. I think they'd have to be on a deserted island for at least a week and if they knew that they weren't going to be rescued, and didn't have to go to work. But that's not going to happen.

Who would play you and David Duchovny in a movie about yourselves?
Well. Chris Carter (The X-Files creator) once said that David and I would do it- if Richard Gere and Jodie Foster weren't available. (laughs)

What's the sexiest thing about David?
Besides the obvious physical aspects, I'd say his mind. He's a very smart guy.

How does it feel to have a fan club called The Gillian Anderson Testosterone Brigade on the Internet?

(laughs) it's fine. There's actually a Gillian Anderson Oestrogen Brigade, too. I hear. It's just the fans, they're people who enjoy the show and it's all positive stuff.

What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you to do?
I signed a man's chest once- it was delightful for me. (laughs)

You said in one interview that the one thing you really regret in life was not paying attention in school because you were always daydreaming. What did you daydream about?

Nothing. I've always had the ability to kind of slip off into a nothing space and I still do it. I kind of zone out and it's sort of meditative in a way, but in school it wasn't very productive. There's huge areas of history and stuff that I missed. (laughs)

You went diving with sharks while you were in Australia last year. Are there any other crazy things that you'd like to do?
I thought about bungee jumping but I'm a little afraid of snapping my spine. (laughs) I would also like to, at some point in my life, jump out of a plane. That'd be incredible.

If you were an alien, what's the first thing you'd do when you arrived on Earth?
If there was an ocean, I'd go scuba diving. (laughs)

What was the last thing you can remember dreaming about?
Scuba diving. (laughs)

What's the best thing about being a girl?
I guess, having babies. Yeah, the ability to reproduce, definitely.

If you could appear in a music video for any artist or band, whose would it be?
Well. First of all, I'd like to be able to sing and I'd love to belt stuff. I've only ever sung in the shower. But geez, I don't know…Maybe Alanis Morrisette- she's great.

What will you do after The X- Files hype is over?
I hope to take a bit of time off and take a long break.

By Santi Pintado