The X-Files: on Chris Carter and Ellipses
(Gillian's POV)
(*Note*: David Duchovny's Revival version.)
Gillian Anderson's IWTB version (on Conan O'Brien):
GA: Chris told me-- I mean, that, there was a particular way that we used to speak in the show that it, that wasn't a normal rhythm and syntax. It was slightly backwards, um, which felt like it was almost part of the... cryptid aspect of the series. And it wasn't until we were working on this-- I think the second feature, and I was sitting in a parked vehicle waiting to shoot. And, uh, our, our show runner and creator Chris Carter came up to me-- who was directing the feature-- and he said, he looked at my sides where my lines were, and he said, 'Look, no widows!'
And I said, "What are you talking about?" And he said, "No, no widows," on the, on, you know, "your little paragraphs that each character has."
Um, the word went all the way to the end with the period, so there wasn't any-- you didn't, like, end halfway through that line. So, it was a perfect, so it was a perfect rectangle. So, the dialogue was designed...
Male Host: Visually.
GA: [Mouths] Visually. [Immediately flashes two middle fingers, the room bursts into laughter.]
Female Host: Wow!
GA: [Exasperated] For nine years!
[Everyone ''Wow!"s in sympathy.]
Conan O'Brien: So, you're struggling with his OCD. Yeah, that's incredible.
GA: It was like... [head explosion gesture.] Are you f-ing kidding me?!
Conan O'Brien: Just so it looks a certain way on the page.
Female Host: That's amazing.
GA: [Nodding] Amazing.
Conan O'Brien: Yeah. He's a frustrated... student of architecture.
GA: Yeah.
Male Host: [to Conan] I know.
GA: I love him, and I appreciate him. And I don't mean to call him out because it's just, it's such a fantastic-- it's like, it says so much-- I mean, it's like....
[*Note*: Implies Gillian liked the idea, it suited the show; but wished she'd been told years earlier.]
chris carter really is a weird little fucking gremlin it's insane to me that you could accidentally on purpose create the greatest fictional relationship in television in the 20th century, invent the ship that shaped everything even that very term, and then be.... mad about it? fucking weirdo and i hope gillian never ever comes back to him.
Chris Carter seems to genuinely hate that he accidentally cast two people with some of the all time greatest chemistry in TV history. And then wrote two complicated, interesting characters who the audience truly care about. It’s what most show runners dream of, but it’s somehow his worst nightmare.
And it was very open, very free, very fun.
Crystal meth, CC and "widows and orphans," and more.
Here are my notes.
*-*-*-*-*
Gillian Anderson on the high school locker prank:
"Let's just say I was doing a little crystal meth at the time, and I was in a really good mood. And I managed to talk them [the police] out of breaking and entering and just into trespassing [charges]."
Also, her considerably older boyfriend went back to his apartment to drink and smoke dope while she spent the night in prison (with a nail
in her foot.)
*-*-*-*-*
Gillian has a "no widows" story from Chris Carter, too, wow. (And it was while filming IWTB, so earlier than DD's Revival realization.)
She becomes animatedly frustrated while telling it (and flashes two middle fingers.)
Also says she doesn't mean to call him out ("love"s and "appreciate"s him.) Understands it was right for the show, trails off.
*-*-*-*-*
The Scully Effect, touched many peoples' lives (not so keen on fans who stop her say they watch The X-Files "every day.") The right of passage watchers have by showing it to their kids.
Prepping for The Crown. Listened to an autobiography, BBC six-part series landed exactly when she needed it. Watched pre-interview footage of Margaret Thatcher (not aware she's on film) rehearsing her lines while taking a sweet from purse.
*-*-*-*-*
Great banter between them. (Example: talking about being babies, only interview back in 1995.)
Conan O'Brien brings up Streetcar, notes he can't think of something more terrifying than doing theater. Gillian says, "Thanks, Conan," reveals she's rehearsing for an upcoming play. All laugh as she pretends to walk out.
Conan O'Brien: Let's see, it'll be... thirty-two years before I see you again. We're like comets that pass each other, um, but not in a good way.
GA:
Other Hosts: [Laugh.]
*-*-*-*-*
Camp Miasma movie. Monty Python in its exaggerated comedic gore.
*-*-*-*-*
More, sequel to Want, coming out. Curious about effects of sexuality influenced by porn industry and shame women might feel with
their bodies.
Doing press for Scoop, all the women journalists wanted to talk about Want. Realized there's a big appetite for it. Teases More as bolder, more audacious.
Questions one has to tackle: am I speaking up for myself? Are there needs and wants I'm not expressing?
*-*-*-*-*
Quickly talk about her drink brand (because they technically already ended the podcast but remembered last second.)
*-*-*-*-*
CONCLUSION
Gillian lands quite a couple smacks on Conan O'Brien (which is the conceit of the show); and you can tell she was having fun.
They all had a good time: she was chatty, cheery, in a good mood.
" I do not know if Gillian will be nominated for an Oscar, which is very unlikely (for objective reasons of selection), but if she is very lucky, then it will be fair. Few actresses would agree to play in such a film and with such brilliance."
This is an interesting point. In some way, she has taken a risk with this role because the film does focus on her "aging", and that can be problematic for many actresses to address and to add a lightbeam. But, some of those risks pay off. Meryl Streep comes to mind for some reason of an actress who has taken the risk of having the age factor be part of the character. Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond from "Sunset Boulevard" also comes to mind.
I don't know if it's fair to say "unfortunately for her she is a white woman" and that could be a reason why she may be overlooked because Hollywood is seeking diversity for its awards. I wish gender, race, etc., politics would be removed from awards so that the focus could be on the actual talent, but there seems to have been a shift in the last couple of years that has tainted awards and their meanings. Wasn't the last Oscar season the least viewed?
I think the audience is tired of politics, when gender, race or something else takes precedence over talent. Coogler is talented regardless of skin color, Gillian is talented regardless of skin color. If this continues, it won't lead to anything good.
He says « some fans » will be angry with him as if the people who love Mulder and Scully’s intimate scenes are like 10 persons against the number of people who watched the show. I can’t believe how out of touch that man is. I hope this flops real good and so does his ‘reboot’.
Yeah. I could be wrong as I'm very much part of a shipper bubble, but it's not even necessarily about their romance. You can tell he doesn't care by keeping them apart in many of his mytharc episodes too. Or like in MS4 where Scully has a total of like two minutes screen time.
Is he out of touch or is he malicious? Is it both? I just can't tell. It's sad.
so they can just look straight into each other's eyes while talking about the gspot like they were talking about the weather? Uh...that is some level of comfort and intimacy especially since Gillian asked HIM if HE knew where the GSPOT is. It's not a general discussion about the topic.
Looks like it! I thought that look they shared there was just adorable. They've always had that insane level of comfort and intimacy. One of the reasons why I love them so much.
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