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David Duchovny talked to Sylvie Simmons about recapturing the old X-Files magic in a second feature film.
David Duchovny on…filming
We were shooting up in Pemberton [western Canada] in the dead of winter, where there were sheets of snow and snowflakes the size of silver dollars, and everybody was dressed like the Michelin man except, of course, for the actors. At some point it just became a joke. Poor Amanda Peet was crying and laughing at the same time at how freezing she was. My ass is bigger in this film than it's ever been - all thermal [clothing], trust me.
…being Mulder
I played that character for so long, I figured it would just be like slipping into a comfortable pair of old shoes. But as we all know, shoes sometimes get a little stiff if you haven't worn them in a while. So it was a bit odd at first. And, interestingly, it was the first scenes that Gillian and I started doing in the movie, which was about two weeks into filming, when we started playing up to one another as Mulder and Scully. That was the key. That's when it really felt like I'd rediscovered the character.
…the Mulder and Scully chemistry
I don't know if I can put words on it, but it's a feeling or a dynamic that at once became very familiar. We were worried if what we had was real, or if we could get it back, or if we had all gotten way too old for all this. And then we started reading and we got to the first Mulder and Scully scene and I kind of just glanced over my shoulder at Chris and his eyes were tearing up. And I thought, well, you know, we all really care about it, we all really believe in it and each other, and this is such a formative aspect of our lives. It was just kind of beautiful.
…the plot - what can he tell us?
Absolutely nothing. The idea behind keeping it a secret is because it's a mystery, and also the history of what's going on between Mulder and Scully over the past six years is a secret. And there was a yearning for an old-fashioned movie-going experience, where you go in and don't know the whole plot. We thought, let's see if we can pull that off.
…his favourite rumour
That Mulder became a wolfman! There was a picture of me on the internet mocked up as a wolfman. It was a great look. I said to Chris Carter, "I want to make that movie!"
…Doctor Who - is it any good?
I remember the first one, which was wonderful in its low-tech quality, and I loved the theme song, which sounded like the Cure to me. I'm a big fan of British television. We watched a lot of BBC because my mother is Scottish. Which character would I like to play in Doctor Who? Who's the bad guy? The Dalek? OK, I'll play him.
…his X-Files moment
I believe I saw a UFO once, a long time ago, about 1982, but I don't know what it was. I saw something in the sky that disappeared... I was having a hard time then - you know, life. There was something in the air and it was gone and I thought, "You've got to get some rest, David!"
…his next project
I'm just finishing up the second series of Californication [in which he plays self-destructive writer Hank Moody], then I might go and do an independent film that I don't want to name right now because it's not a sure thing.
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Read Gillian Anderson on The X-Files: I Want to Believe - or take a look at our full guide to The X-Files.
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