The X-Files: on Chris Carter and Ellipses
David Duchovny recounts a misinterpretation of CC's writing:
Forever, uh, doing The X-Files, I would read Chris Carter's dialogue; and, um, he used a lot of ellipses: dot, dot, dot. And, uh, I would think, "Oh, it must be a, uh, y'know, something I'm not saying. Something the character Mulder is not saying." And so, I would think about what I'm not saying. And I would, y'know-- if I wasn't too overwhelmed in the moment-- bring that into the performance. Or, or, the intimation of the line.
Anyway ... when we were doing the reboot-- six or seven years ago, or whatever it was-- there was one of these dot dots, dot. And I didn't know... I didn't know what might have not been said. And so, I called Chris.
"Where's he [Mulder] going with this? Where's he not going with this? What's he not saying here?"
And [Carter says], "No, no, that's just 'no widows, no orphans.'"
And I go, "What? What are you talking about?"
And he's like, "No, I don't allow any widows or orphans in my writing; so, I always use ellipses or em dashes to make it a perfect square or rectangle."
And I said, "You mean, I've been working with you for ten years trying to fill in those ellipses; and it's just because you don't like the way it looks on a page?"
And he goes, "Yeah."
