Gillian Anderson played the skeptical Dana Scully for nine seasons of The X-Files, one of the popular and influential sci-fi series of the 1990s. She returned to play Scully in a pair of revival seasons in 2016 and 2018, but called it quits after that. In a lengthy conversation with X-Files co-star David Duchovny (Fox Mulder), Anderson explained why she no longer wanted to continue starring in the spooky series after the 11th season ended in 2018.
“The end was problematic," Anderson said on Duchovny's Fail Better podcast. "I mean, it was problematic storyline wise, particularly for Scully. And I wasn’t really enjoying the direction that it was heading. It didn’t feel– and yet there was, I didn’t have a voice in it. As much as anything, I felt like I needed to move on to something where I might have more of a voice.”
Anderson's subsequent roles after leaving The X-Files have included some of the best of her career. She won both a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award in 2021 for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in the British royal family drama The Crown. She also starred in the hit Netflix series Sex Education, which ran for four seasons.
Anderson's more empowered roles in those two series could be seen as a departure from the storylines she'd been given in the final seasons of The X-Files. About Scully's arc, Anderson said, "It was more like Scully’s trajectory was no longer one of strength and agency. It felt like it was beholden to an old idea of what a woman is."
Duchovny also discussed his decision to quit the original run of the show after its eighth season ended way back in 2001, saying he never apologized to Anderson for leaving without discussing his decision with her first. Far from being upset, Anderson said she wondered at the time if she could quit as well. But, she admitted, she was lured back with a higher-paying offer.
Although a massive success at the time it aired, there were some bumpy moments during production of The X-Files. Duchovny said that at one point, show creator Chris Carter even suggested that Duchovny and Anderson enter couple's therapy.
Anderson faced some of her own challenges on set, including an unexpected pregnancy that forced the show's writers to alter her storylines. Anderson was pregnant with her first child while filming the second season. “I do remember times when I just bawled my eyes out," she told Duchovny.
Despite some behind-the-scenes drama, The X-Files still has a large, devoted following. Fan conventions take place almost every year, with the next one, PhileFest, scheduled for August 2025. In 2022, a museum dedicated to the show opened in Saratoga Springs, New York. And in 2023, it was announced that Black Panther and Creed director Ryan Coogler was developing a reboot.
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