Gillian Anderson’s Quotes
People have been willing to accept that the government is lying to us, but [are now also] more willing to accept the concept of aliens and other life forms. There's just a slew of stuff out there right now. It's been people's closet belief system, and now it's coming out of the closet.
Kate O'Hare, Tribune Media Services (December 2, 1994) "The Voice of Reason Speaks on FOX's 'X-Files'", St. Louis Post-Dispatch, p. 10F.
Something happened when I got pregnant, and I'm not able to listen to that kind of music as much. I feel like I'm going nuts when I listen to it. I used to listen to Dead Kennedys, Circle Jerks, PiL, Butthole Surfers. But today, I can't. I love Alanis Morissette, Emmylou Harris' latest album, and all sorts of jazz and blues. If I want to hear something heavy duty, I'll put on the Foo Fighters or a good rocking Rolling Stones song. But that's as intense as I've got.
David Wild Rolling Stone "X-Files Undercover" (May 16, 1996)
I wouldn't say I'm normal, but I'm relatively stable. When I think of normalcy I think of mediocrity and mediocrity scares the fuck out of me.
Joel Achenbach Allure "Planet Hollywood Harriet Winslow" (December, 1997)
I didn't really think too much about the fact that it was about aliens. I was intrigued by that aspect of it, but I was more intrigued by the relationship between Mulder and Scully, and how intelligent this woman was, and that she would stand up in the face of his intelligence and feel comfortable with him.
On her first impressions of The X-Files — reported in Betsy Pickle (June 19, 1998) "Scully's strength is Anderson's inspiration", The Knoxville News-Sentinel, p. T11.
Just remember, you can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes action, perseverance, and facing your fears.
Excerpt from the foreword in Girl Boss: Running the Show Like the Big Chicks, by Stacy Kravetz (1999)
Another miraculous result of playing Scully has been all the incredible young women I have been blessed to meet along the way--women who have shared that they have received strength from Scully, that because of Scully's strength they have been afraid but done it anyway. These have been women from all walks of life: women from low-income neighborhoods who have persevered despite all odds to study hard and pursue their dreams, enabling them to enter into better schools and work environments; women who have illness and physical challenges who have gotten better and stronger because they believe they can. I truly believe that we can overcome any hurdle that lies before us and create the life we want to live. I have seen it happen time and time again.
Excerpt from the foreword in Girl Boss: Running the Show Like the Big Chicks, by Stacy Kravetz (1999)
My whole belief system is that our paths are drawn for us. I believe in reincarnation. I believe we're here to learn and grow. We choose how we come into this life based on what it is we have to learn. Some people have harder lessons than others.
Movieline Magazine "Gillian of the Spirits" (January, 1999)
Sometimes, I genuinely enjoy having conversations with journalists; enjoying the few moments of intimacy with a stranger is fascinating to me. But once in a while that backfires and you're suddenly reading something that has a bent on it that you didn't feel was in the least bit a part of the conversation that you thought you were having. Then you get overly protective and say very little and then you come out of the hole again.
The Observer staff (October 1, 2000 ) "Review: Interview: The truth is out here: X-files star Gillian Anderson has rejected the lure of Hollywood for the austere style of cult British director Terence Davies. What is she thinking of...", The Observer.
When I was younger I think I showed off and I fed off the attention. And to a certain degree that has been satiated in this job, just in doing what I do. I think it's enough that I don't need to then push it.
Grace Bradberry (October 21, 2000) "Playing with fire - Interview", The Times, p. Times Magazine 32.
There is this view that if you are not tormented you cannot be vital and creative. I would like to think that is not true.
Jasper Gerard (July 1, 2001) "Scully knows what it's like to be an alien - Interview", The Sunday Times, p. News Review 5.
Having been Scully for such a long time, I have to prove myself in other roles.
Ric House (July 6, 2001) "New 'X-Files' season will be Anderson's last", The Spokesman-Review, p. D2.
Directing was a transformative experience for me, one that I really enjoyed.
Wales on Sunday staff (December 2, 2001) "Wales on Sunday: stargazing", Wales on Sunday.
You know, the last time I was on [the show], we were talking about colonics and this is a little step up.
To Letterman, after they lengthily kissed during the Late Night with David Letterman — "Gillian Anderson Kisses Letterman" (May 10, 2002)
If I chose to have a nanny, I'd be able to pay to have a nanny - a lot of women don't have that opportunity. I don't feel like I'm a working single mom, because I have that option that a lot of people don't have.
Alasdair Ferguson (June 7, 2002) "As The X-Files ends, I realise how much", The Express.
I always felt I wasn't completely American and I wasn't completely British: there was a feeling of having my feet in both places.
Tony Barrell (September 18, 2005) "Agent Scullery - Interview", The Sunday Times, p. Sunday Times Magazine 46.
I also respond very strongly to characters I have not done before... something I can really sink my teeth into, and what's scary, and what terrifies me, because that's where I need to go.
Toady "Nothing 'Bleak' about PBS for Gillian Anderson" (January 18, 2006)
In England, I get offered films. I don't get offers in America. People don't know what to do with me in America. And I've disappeared.
Associated Press (January 20, 2006) "American tragedy", Chicago Tribune RedEye Edition, Chicago Tribune, p. 52.
I try, in my life, to follow my heart. I know what it feels like to do things that are soul-decaying. A large aspect of life in Hollywood, in a stereotypic way, I find unbelievably soul-decaying. And I choose, albeit frustratingly to other people in my life, not to expose myself too much to too much of that.
Hal Boedeker (January 21, 2006) "Agent of Change - Gillian Anderson , who found fulfilling work in England after `The X-Files,' returns to TV in a PBS miniseries", The Orlando Sentinel, p. E1.
When I finished the series, I wasn't going to do television again. I never wanted to do television to begin with, and I was so exhausted by the process that I was wary of being in front of the camera again.
On finishing her work in the series The X-Files — reported in Steve Hedgpeth (January 22, 2006) "Gillian Anderson : TV or not TV", The Star-Ledger, p. 3.
I became an actor because it was the only thing I could do. I didn't have any friends, I didn't fit in. But when I started acting everything in my life shifted and I felt happy.
Steve Pratt (April 14, 2007) "Straight talking", The Northern Echo, p. 18.
I would never point a finger at anyone and say, 'They lived their life badly.' I take it as it comes and deal with each situation as it arrives.
Garth Pearce (April 29, 2007) "The plot to slow me down - Interview", The Sunday Times, p. InGear 3.
By moving to London I removed myself from the madness of the entertainment industry. I love the city and the culture, and it was an opportunity to bring my children up in a more sane environment.
John Hiscock (July 25, 2008) "Mulder and Scully: the truth is here Anderson on Duchovny David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, stars of the new 'X-Files' movie, talk to Will Lawrence and John Hiscock about their on-screen chemistry", The Daily Telegraph.
Dear Gillian,
You are completely and utterly self obsessed. If you spent a quarter of your time thinking about others instead of how much you hate your thighs, your level of contentment and self worth would expand exponentially. One thing I learned way too late in the game for my own good was that you can effectively increase your self esteem by doing estimable things. Therefore I have signed you up to build homes for the homeless during your entire summer vacation. Your Christmas will be spent serving food at a battered women’s shelter and Easter is designated to reading stories to children in the pediatric cancer ward. Four months out of 16years dedicated to human beings other than yourself, you have gotten off easy. Oh and honey expand your horizons; your world is a bigger oyster than your low self-esteem wants you to believe. Loveyourself; think of others and be grateful. I love you, I believe in you, and I look forward to respecting you.
Me. You. Us
P.S. Follow your dreams, not your boyfriends.
Anderson's letter to her teenage self — from Dear Me: More Letters To My Sixteen-Year-Old Self, edited by Joseph Galliano. (June 19, 2011)
London is my favourite city in the world. Flying in last night, I felt I was really coming home, and that's unique. It's the only place I actually miss when I'm not here. London appeals to many aspects of me - it just feels like where I belong.
Clarke Hayes The Spectator Blog "Switching off the spotlight" (October 14, 2011)
I've been asked whether I feel more like a Brit than an American and I don't know what the answer to that question is. I know that I feel that London is home and I'm very happy with that as my home. I love London as a city and I feel very comfortable there. In terms of identity, I'm still a bit baffled.
BlogTalkRadio "Milling About with Gillian Anderson" (May 24, 2013)
If was a refugee forced to flee my home the most important thing I would take with me would be my brother's Buddhist prayer beads. He passed away a year and a half ago aged 30. Even in the darkest days before he died he never once complained. His faith and practice kept him in a state of grace until the end. May I never complain.
United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) "What Would You Take? #1family" (June 30, 2013)
You look just like that Mulder on X Factor.
When asked what the best thing a London cabbie said to her — Evening Standard "Gillian Anderson's My London" (September 20, 2013)
I would masturbate in a red speedo.
When asked what would she do if she and David Duchovny switched bodies for a week — Reddit "Gillian Anderson here. I've brought David Duchovny with me. Ask us anything, we'll answer almost everything."(October 12, 2013)
We got a lot of letters all the time, and I was told quite frequently by girls who were going into the medical world or the science world or the FBI world or other worlds that I reigned, that they were pursuing those pursuits because of the character of Scully. And I said, 'Yay!'
Anderson tells that she has long been aware of "The Scully Effect" and the influence her character had on young women — reported in Jennifer Vineyard Vulture.com "Nearly Everything The X-Files’ David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson Said This Weekend" (October 14, 2013)
I had started to become interested in the punk scene and started to dress differently than a lot of the kids in Grand Rapids, Michigan were dressing. And I got my nose pierced and I started to shave my head and dye my hair and wear a lot of black. And so I looked like somebody that might be arrested... I was a bit of a class clown, usually the one that people would get to do the things that they were afraid to get in trouble for... On graduation night, I was arrested... I had a boyfriend at the time who was a couple centuries older than I was and I'd convinced him that we should go and glue the locks of the school so that people couldn't get in the morning. And lo and behold, they had a security guard because it was graduation night and they were concerned that idiots like me might try and do something like that.
On her teenage punk years and being arrested on graduation night — NPR "Gillian Anderson On 'The Fall' And Getting Arrested In High School" (December 7, 2013)
Get out of the house. Find other human beings to communicate with. Read a book. Do yoga. Meditate. Be of service. That is one of the biggest single most things to get one out of oneself, is being of service to people who are less fortunate than ourselves.
When asked for a motivational advice — Reddit "The Reigning Queen of TV" here. Also known as "mom." Gillian Anderson here, AMA." (March 13, 2014)
I have feminist bones and when I hear things or see people react to women in certain ways I have very little tolerance.
Celia Walden Glamour "I have a healthy appreciation of Ryan Gosling" (August, 2014)
Above anything else, stay true to yourself. Whether that means for you that you like to have blue hair, or you don't like to drink, or you are attracted to the same sex, or you want to remove yourself fromFacebook, or you've got 3 different kids from 3 different dads but you know you're a really good mom, or you cry for a week because your turtle died. Whatever your truth is, stay true to yourself. But be a good person while you're at it.
When asked what advice would she give young feminist — Reddit "Sunday morning with Gillian Anderson. Grab a cup of coffee and A Vision of Fire. AMA." (October 12, 2014)
We shot the first five seasons up in Vancouver, so we were protected from the public mania, and the industry mania, for the most part. I was first exposed to it when I became pregnant in the first season, and I quickly learned the power of the machine; then again when I was trying to negotiate my salary to be closer to equal to what David [Duchovny] was making, rather than a quarter. Yes, it's been an ongoing education, but it continues to astound me.
On the wage gap and how The X-Files helped her understand the entertainment industry — Hunger TV "One From The Archives: The Interview: Gillian Anderson" (October 19, 2014)
At the beginning [of The X-Files] the pay disparity was massive. But that happens all the time in Hollywood. It's, 'Do this for me, I'll get you a job.' All the stuff in the papers today about people in entertainment who have abused their position... it's built into our society. It's easy to miss and it's easy to get used to it. There are things that are intolerable in today's world, in terms of the perception of women. Whether they're vamps or vixens, the expectation that, if a woman is wearing a short skirt, she's 'asking for it.'
About the wage gap in Hollywood and sexism — Red Online "Life Is Short, Follow your Heart" (November 10, 2014)
I am an actively heterosexual woman who celebrates however people want to express their sexuality.
On having liberal approach about sex — Evening Standard "Gillian Anderson: Self destruction is my default mode" (December 2, 2014)
I don't think I'd be very good at what you'd call an ordinary job. I think I might be an artist, mixed media. And that is still something I'm interested in pursuing at some point, but I have this fear of taking my eye off the ball, and get distracted from that acting thing.
The Guardian "Gillian Anderson webchat – as it happened" (February 6, 2015)
We were in a small Republican town. There were only six punks there. We were weird. It's not like London.
On her teenage punk years in Grand Rapids — The Guardian "Gillian Anderson on therapy, rebellion and 'being weird'" (February 8, 2015)
I was a confident fuck-up. I did drugs, and I went to concerts, and I snuck out of the house and I did all that stuff that rebellious teenagers do.
The Guardian "Gillian Anderson on therapy, rebellion and 'being weird'" (February 8, 2015)
To me a relationship is about loving another human being; their gender is irrelevant.
The Telegraph "Gillian Anderson: It's time somebody was brave enough to ask me out" (March 24, 2015)
Peace of mind, right mind, right action.
When asked about the meaning of her tattoos — Newsweek "'X-Files' Behind Her, Gillian Anderson Is a Believer" (May 14, 2015)
I don't necessarily consider myself to be an icon, but I do consider myself to be a feminist.
When asked if she considered herself to be a feminist icon – given the many strong female characters she portrayed — "Dallas Comic Con - May 2015 - The X Files - Gillian Anderson" (May 31, 2015)
I've always been a believer. I've been a believer in many different realms of alternate reality, the human capacity to move out of different planes of reality. It's something that has been with me since I was a child.
Time Inc. "8 Questions With Gillian Anderson" (December 21, 2015)
I like women a lot and I champion them. I tell people when they are beautiful, I tell other actresses when I think their work is amazing... So I think women feel relatively comfortable in my presence. Also, because I'm notperfect, you know? I've got flabby thighs, I'm aging and I'm 5ft 3in. I talk about my failing in contemporary society in terms of gyms or food or whatever. I think there's a polite appreciation that I'm honest.
On being appreciated by women — Net-a-Porter "Gillian Anderson on finding Scully again and her chemistry with David Duchovny" (January 14, 2016)
I sometimes don't enjoy it at all, and sometimes it feels like... breath.
About acting — Larry King Now "Gillian Anderson on ‘The X-Files’ Reboot, All-White Oscar Noms, & (Not) Kissing Jamie Dornan" (January 15, 2016)
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