Photo: REX USA/MediaPunch Inc.
It has been a big weekend for X-Files fans. Of course, it was the 20th anniversary of the first-ever episode, but that's not all. First, Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny did an AMA on Reddit, touching on every subject from Chewbacca to the show's most ridiculous moments. And then they showed up for a panel at NYC's Paley Center.
Decades later, it's no surprise that the former co-stars remember little about the complicated, many-layered plot of one of history's most-loved shows. But when they are reminded of certain, more ridiculous moments, they completely crack up. When asked about the events of the final episode during Saturday's panel discussion, Anderson completely lost it for a solid two minutes trying to control her laughter. After all the giggling, it came time to watch a few of their favorite clips. Anderson's own, more comedic take on the series is evident by the first clip she chose to show — from the episode "Bad Blood," authored by Vince Gilligan. It is, undoubtedly, the silliest autopsy ever aired.
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Anderson also noted that Cynthia Nixon auditioned for the role of Scully, which is enough to send your imagination reeling. Once cast, both Anderson and Duchovny were unsure of the series' potential. Anderson said it was "a job" and it wasn't until the third season that the show's popularity really sunk in. Duchovny, on the other hand, has a typically cynical attitude: "Who ever expects something to be a hit? What kind of an idiot? We took this show because we wanted to live, to take a job. I didn't know what the show was gonna be about, none of us did. I thought eventually you'd have to see the alien, and then it's over! People are gonna get pissed if they don't see the alien. And they're gonna be pissed if the show keeps going after you see the alien." Well, we all know how that worked out.
But it wasn't all laughing and reminiscing. There was a lot of bated breath, oohs, and aaws. The question on the tip of everyone's tongue? Well, there were two of them: First of all, are they finally dating? And second of all, will there be another movie?
Spoiler alert: They didn't answer either. But they were hinting "yes" at both, heavily. First, there were the looks. Longing looks. That, at least, was our interpretation. Then, there was the fact that Duchovny chose to show a famously romantic scene of Mulder teaching Scully to play baseball. Said Anderson of the clip, "I remembered it fondly...and, um, you know, it's quite intimate for where we would've been in that particular point in our relationship. It's very romantic."
Duchovny called her "adorable" in the scene, which he directed, and went on to muse: "Gillian was kind enough, but I was aware that when I was directing, she was tired, and there were times when we would be more prepared than other times...and you can see in that scene that she's really just doing wonderful work for me. I really felt like it was for me." Are you sobbing yet?
They were both name-dropping a third movie left and right, though of course, neither would confirm. Duchovny did say that the relationship between TV's favorite inquisitive minds doesn't end, never ends, though it was unclear if he meant that literally. It's certainly possible that they're stringing us all along on a little fake romance to test the waters and build some buzz for a possible third X-Files film, and if that's the case, it's working. We really, really want to believe.