Kirk Douglas, one of the great Hollywood leading men whose off-screen life was nearly as colorful as his on-screen exploits, has died, according to his son, actor Michael Douglas. He was 103.
"It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103," he wrote on his verified Instagram account. "To the world he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to. But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband."
Michael Douglas added that his father's life "was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet."
He added: "Let me end with the words I told him on his last birthday and which will always remain true. Dad- I love you so much and I am so proud to be your son."
Douglas was far more than just a leading man, although he was certainly that. The actor was a larger-than-life character, a titan of the entertainment industry, and someone -- by virtue of his longevity-- one of the last surviving links to a particular era of Hollywood's past.
Born to Russian immigrant parents, the self-made star established himself as an actor following World War II, capitalizing on his looks and athleticism. In that regard, he had a good deal in common with another titan of those years, Burt Lancaster, with whom Douglas co-starred in seven movies, including "Gunfight at O.K. Corral" and the political thriller "Seven Days in May."
Still, Douglas exhibited a range that went beyond what was available to stars during an earlier stretch of the studio system. And like Lancaster, he seized control of his career in the mid-1950s by forming his own production company, using that leverage not only to find interesting parts for himself but to champion prestige material, as well as talent like director Stanley Kubrick, with who he collaborated on two memorable films, "Paths of Glory" and "Spartacus."
Perhaps foremost, Douglas was as comfortable -- and as good, if not better -- playing a bad guy, a heel, as he was a traditional hero. His steely edge shone through starting with the film noir classic "Out of the Past" in 1947, followed by "Champion," "The Bad and the Beautiful" and "The Vikings."
Douglas was equally comfortable with action and serious drama, combining a nasty streak with a wry sense of humor. He excelled at playing terrible characters who nonetheless left the audience feeling a measure of sadness, in spite of themselves, when they met an untimely end.
The actor earning Oscar nominations for playing Vincent Van Gogh in "Lust for Life," "Champion" and "Bad and the Beautiful," but never won. He did receive a lifetime achievement award in 1996, and crooned a memorable duet with Lancaster at the 1958 Academy Awards, insisting how happy they were not to be among the nominees.
Douglas famously used his clout in other ways, perhaps most famously by allowing blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo to put his name on "Spartacus." Although there has been some dispute over just how significant that was in "breaking" the blacklist, as Douglas suggested in his autobiography, it did make clear his commitment to working with top talent, also employing Trumbo on one of his best films, "Lonely Are the Brave," which cast Douglas as a modern-day cowboy.
Douglas also remained a colorful and outspoken figure, even after a 1996 stroke impaired his speech -- mounting a one-man show in its aftermath. His aforementioned 1988 autobiography, "The Ragman's Son," was a classic Hollywood tell-all, detailing various affairs with well-known actresses and settling some old scores. As the New York Times described it, the book read "like a collection of stories the actor has been telling over dinner for years."
In perhaps the most famous -- and certainly most lampooned -- scene from "Spartacus," his fellow rebels, captured by the Roman army, rise to proclaim, "I'm Spartacus!" when told their lives will be spared if they identify him.
Many actors, before and since, have played the sort of roles at which Douglas excelled. But in terms of breadth, volume and variety, there was only one Kirk Douglas.
DD and GA Knew Mulder and Scully Were Endgame from Day One
After diving deep into Chris Carter's past statements, and resurfacing with the (predictable) report that he'd planned Mulder and Scully's romantic relationship from the start (post here), I began wondering at what point David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were aware of this plan-- and to what degree.
My suspicions became peaked while listening to a random David and Gillian interview-- the Kumail podcast, perhaps?-- where he revealed they were directed to look into each other's eyes often and keep in close physical proximity from day one. And while that could be an unsubstantiated claim (GA didn't remember it... but that's also not surprising), it intrigued me further.
From there, I found interviews in Season 9, then Season 8, then Season 7, then Season 6 of David eagerly discussing his thoughts, hopes, and contributions to the show-- particularly with Mulder's family and his relationship with Scully.
Gillian, however, was harder to pin down: she rarely engaged in-depth with interviews, and mostly dodged a declarative answer on the Mulder and Scully intrigue. The most I knew was her comment that it had been (loosely quoted) smart of CC to keep the romance apart as long as he did. But what about earlier?
Well. I'm not finished reading through some chonky behind-the-scenes books yet, but I do have enough to substantially prove (as much as I can at this stage) that David and Gillian knew Mulder and Scully were end game to some degree. Further, that they had fun and felt freedom in not having to explore that side of the characters' relationship... but would have had more fun if their characters had been given anything else to explore, regardless.
1996
In Brian Lowry's The Official Third Season Guide to The X-Files, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson both slip up, just a little.
DD wants to explore more of Mulder and Scully's relationship--
Never one to settle for success, Duchovny-- who continues to play an active role in the series's creative direction, working in concert with Carter and co-executive producer Howard Gordon on certain episodes-- is pleased with the third season but looks forward to expanding the shows emotional range even further. Referring to one of the early second-season episodes, he notes, "I think when we did 'Duane Barry' the show became a really great show, and we maintained that level for a while, but we haven't gone beyond it. I'm waiting to go beyond it. We don't go beyond it technically, but we will go beyond it in terms of character, introducing a personal life of some kind. I think it's inevitable. You have to do it."
--yet dodges away from definitives when the interviewer begins to grill him on specifics--
When it's pointed out that the show's most fervent loyalists, as well as Carter himself, have been especially vocal about not wanting to see Mulder and Scully romantically involved with anyone but each other, Duchovny simply shrugs and says the nuances he refers to don't necessarily have to involve romance. "Give Mulder a friend. Give him a squash partner," he suggests. "It's got to happen. I really don't care what anybody thinks we should or shouldn't do."
GA interests lay in the same direction as her costar's--
Anderson remains more sanguine regarding such matters, though she indicates some interest as well in stretching the characters while understanding that such an evolution must occur within the show's parameters....
"I think it would be an interesting challenge as an actor to see how they react in certain situations-- how they act on a personal level ... maybe have her go on a date, or someone she's attracted to just so see how it affects her relationship with Mulder," Anderson concurs, while adding that she understands the show's parameters dictate that they "not take it to any great detail, or take it any further. Just that sideline would be interesting. It can't just be about extracurricular relationships," she continues. "The show's not about that. That would ruin it."
--but her answer is, unfortunately, never expounded on further.
1997
Vince Gilligan stated in a 1998 interview:
“I had a good time writing that [Small Potatoes] scene at the end where Scully almost kisses Mulder. Of course, it’s not really Mulder, it’s Eddie Van Blundht. Both David and Gillian really enjoyed doing the episode, because it was a change of pace for them, and they have fun doing comedy. But as I recall, Gillian was a little reluctant about the kiss, because she was fearful for the franchise. In other words, she worried that we were taking the show too far...."
1998
During the press interviews promoting Fight the Future, DD and GA were finally "allowed" to be forthright on their perspectives.
July
WILL MULDER AND SCULLY EVER KISS? “I think so,” says Duchovny, who almost smooches with his costar in the movie. “If you tease the audience too long they get frustrated.” Good luck convincing Anderson. “It’s not appropriate,” she says. “The series isn’t about our relationship. If it happens, we should wait until the very last episode.”
November
And here we have absolute proof: Gillian stating that the actors and writers had discussed "from day one" what the show would and wouldn't focus on--
The direction of Mulder and Scully’s relationship is a topic of hot debate. “From day one we’ve been talking about the fact that it just wouldn’t work in the series,” remarks Anderson, “but I’m curious as to how, after the movie and the extra zing that’s in the film and whether it should or shouldn’t influence how we are with each other in the series. If it does, how will it influence the work that we do? I don’t know.”
Duchovny is equally unsure of what’s right for the show. “It’s hard to say what would ruin the show, or what would make it good, without actually doing it. But [a relationship] could be interesting. If we had someone come in who wrote beautifully in that direction I’m sure it would work, but I don’t see that happening.”
BONUS
October 12, 1998:
TS: Nothing more than simple chemistry?
DD: No sex between Mulder and Scully! Only deep friendship. People thinking there's more than that between us amuses me. With Gillian, we've created the illusion of romance.
GA: Even if we never kiss on-screen, the audience feels, through a look or a certain sensuality in the dialogue that there's a romantic link between us. We let imagination do the rest.
TS: But you still call each other by your last names instead of your first names, in both the film and the series...
GA: Our characters have to keep a certain distance between them. Calling each other Mulder and Scully just accentuates the seriousness of their professional relationship. But we do, from time to time, in more intimate or dramatic situations, call each other Fox and Dana to show that we have real affection for each other.
October 1998:
[Translated]
CL: According to you, the function in the embryonic love story between Scully and Mulder in the film - does it exist only to titillate the public?
DD: It's true. CC knows the desires of the X-Files public very well, much better than I. It's because he has refrained until now from all physical intimacy between Scully and Mulder. The majority of fans are ferociously opposed to it, even though they aren't opposed to a certain closeness. The kiss, or the non-kiss, is a type of compromise. A response to the fantasy also: we know what you want to see, but... I appreciate this very much because it underlines what Scully and Mulder are expressing for each other until a stroke of fate stops the intimacy. X-Files: The Movie thus raises the veil a little on their physical attraction, on what they could be together if they had the time. If it's a game for CC to blow hot and cold, the fact of presenting this kiss and then the interruption constitutes an intelligent response to the desires and the fears of many.
CONCLUSION
With that in mind... I can't wait to continue reading the official guidebooks. Many more secrets to uncover.
The Mulder Family In-Depth: (Part IV-3) Bill Mulder and the Biological Question
I have long maintained my unflinching prejudice towards Carl Spender-- more specifically, against Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz, and the other writers' late-canon decision to turn him into Mulder's biological father. Unbeknownst to me, CC himself was against the notion-- it was, in fact, David Duchovny's idea. And while I can agree with a lot of DD's criticisms, critiques, and additions to the show, my Rubicon was this and the "Mulder was previously divorced" thought experiments.
Until, unfortunately, it dawned on me that Travelers's timeline-- not Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man's-- was considered canon by the top dogs themselves.
What does all this mean, then?
BILL MULDER'S HISTORY
Bill Mulder was born in 1926 and died in 1995.
We are given two conflicting backstories for his character:
In Musings of a Cigarette-Smoking Man, Bill is a low-ranking soldier, already proudly married to Tena Mulder and the father to one-year-old Fox Mulder (whose first word was "J.F.K.") He is, by all appearances, still on the lower rungs of his career-- untainted by the horrors he will one day face (i.e. Apocrypha's flashbacks and Anasazi's allusions) and only lightly familiar with Spender as a bunk mate and friend (from his perspective.) This flashback takes place in 1962, which would make Bill Mulder 36 years old-- quite old for a "young", low-ranking soldier.
In Travelers, Bill is a married man already entrenched in the government, presumed married with a ring on his finger and no military background to speak of. He is weighed down by the secrets of the Consortium and tries to rope in Arthur Dales to put an end to the mad hunt after Edward Skur (too afraid for himself and his family to directly disobey orders.) This flashback takes place in 1952, which would make Bill Mulder 26 years old-- a decade younger than his alleged "baby-faced" military days.
We are left, then, with an inescapable problem: which narrative is the correct one?
Luckily, Chris Carter solves this puzzle for us-- or, more accurately, for Glen Morgan (who went above-and-beyond to undermine CC's final say, on and off the set, post here):
October 1997:
Another problem arose when William B. Davis announced he hated the script. “I thought Bill was going to be thrilled to have a show about him,” Wong said. “I had dinner with him, and basically he spent the entire time telling me, ‘This is a terrible script! This is horrible! I can’t do this!’ He didn’t like anything about it. He thought it didn’t make sense, that that he didn’t know who this person was, that it wasn’t him. He hated it.” Davis promptly called Carter to ask if this was the real history of the Cigarette Smoking Man (Carter told him no), and he continued to express his concerns with the script throughout the shoot. And then there were the timeline inconsistencies, which Morgan and Wong didn’t even know about until the episode aired and Morgan logged on and was bombarded with dozens of internet posts complaining that the events of “Musings” couldn’t be for real, because they contradicted the teaser to “Apocrypha.” In the “Apocrypha” teaser, which is set in 1953, a young Cigarette Smoking Man (already smoking), a young Bill Mulder, and a third man, all in civilian dress, question a horribly burned submarine crewman who had encountered an alien in a flashback shown in the previous episode, “Piper Maru.” Morgan’s version proposed an entirely different history, with the young Cigarette Smoking Man and Bill Mulder, both Army officers, first meeting in 1961 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Cigarette Smoking Man doesn’t even smoke, until he takes his first nervous puff late in the first act. Although Morgan and Wong had seen “Apocrypha,” they didn’t remember the events of the teaser....
“The Cigarette Smoking Man’s flashbacks were my idea, because I indeed wanted the episode to be a memoir,” Morgan said. But the idea that Frohike could be the real narrator was a Carter-imposed addition to the script, to make it seem as if the events of the episode were not real. Carter even changed the name of the script, from “Memoirs of a Cigarette Smoking Man” to “Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man.”
[Wong]: …“The line where Deep Throat says, ‘Maybe I’m not the liar’ was another change imposed on the script so you could make the leap that perhaps this is all. a dream, or the ramblings of Frohike.”
Musings, then, is a retelling of "historical" facts, not the facts themselves. And since the mytharc continued to build off Travelers-- including Agua Mala's and The Unnatural's pit stops-- then we are left to assume that Travelers, indeed, is the correct timeline.
Which throws a wrench in the biological question.
THE MULDER FAMILY'S EMPTY NEST
From Traveler's 1952 to Fox Mulder's birth in 1961, Bill and Tena Mulder were-- for approximately ten years-- childless.
What are some possible explanations?
Bill and Tena suffered a series of miscarriages before Mulder was born.
Bill and Tena had a previous child who died sometime before Mulder was born. (This seems extremely unlikely, since Mulder was not only never informed but also never stumbled upon mementos or burial records while digging deep in the FBI.)
Bill or Tena was infertile.
The first and third points are particularly salient: with only a three years' difference between Fox and Samantha, it's easy to dismiss Point 1's premise to favor Point 3's theory-- that infertility plagued Bill and eventually led to Tena's "miraculous" pregnancy (in the possible arms of one Carl Spender) instead of a series of unfortunate, though tragically common, events.
In order to weigh these theories correctly, we need to pick apart the evolution of the Paternity Question.
THE X-FILES WRITERS' BUILDING BLOCKS
To properly unwind the spool of mystery around Mulder (and Samantha's) parentage, we have to establish two basic principles:
Chris Carter-- and the writers by extension-- had no conclusive plans for The X-Files: only a vague sense of its direction and a fainter glimpse of its fairy-tale conclusion (post here and here.)
Chris Carter did not intend for Mulder to be CSM's son as late in the game as Season 6.
Chris Carter did intend for Samantha to be CSM's daughter as early as Redux II.
Principle One
Kim Manners summed it up best after One Son wrapped: "I've said for years that the show really resolved itself, if you will, by accident. The whole story line of the Syndicate and the bees and the aliens and the chips in the neck, they all seemed to just accidentally fall into place and create an intriguing, mysterious story line that eventually got so mysterious and so intriguing that Chris had to blow it up [One Son], because he couldn't deal with it anymore." (Post here.)
Carter also admitted, "…I feel like Lewis and Clark: I know where I’m going, but I don’t know what the hills and valleys and streams that I have to cross are.... Everything else I do past this is a big question mark to me,” he says thoughtfully. “I don’t know if it’ll be a hit or miss. It’s a business of failure mostly. While I’ve got this garden growing, I want to make sure that I tend it and that it represents my best efforts.” (Post here.)
Principle Two
CC maintained consistently, for years, that CSM and Mulder's father were separate identities: to David Duchovny (who kept lobbing the idea of a merger)--
Brian Lowry's The Official Third Season Guide to "The X-Files":
The exchange between Mulder and the Cigarette-Smoking Man [in "Talitha Cumi"]... was not surprisingly generated considerable speculation even within the show as to whether the shadowy character-- in a 'Star Wars'-like twist-- might really be Mulder's biological father. "Oh, people will say that," Chris Carter sighed prior to shooting.
For his part, David Duchovny considers that a very real possibility in adding to the series' epic mythology, and William B. Davis says he has contemplated such a scenario in the past and that such thoughts were guiding him in part when he played those scenes....
"I know that I've talked about it with Chris," Duchovny concurs.
--to the public (who were clamoring for theories after each mytharc tease)--
April 1999:
“We all know that Agent Spender is the Cigarette Smoking Man’s son, so that creates an interesting dynamic and if you’ve paid attention, you know that Mulder’s father and the Cigarette Smoking Man have some history together. We’re playing with a big, familial story here that I think enriches the idea of The X-Files in a very personal way for the characters.”
I wrote up a thorough (and compelling) timeline that tracks Carter's static ideas on the topic here; but that still leads us smack against his sudden pivot in Amor Fati, his abandoned 180° turn (again) in a deleted Requiem scene, and his final line-in-the-sand "revelation" in William (scripts and meta here.) CC wanted to flirt with "the truth"... until Season 9's numbers proved that the show's plug would have to be pulled. That, then, sealed Mulder's biological ties to Jeffrey Spender-- there would have been no time to shift again, realistically-- which, in turn, knotted him to CSM forever.
Principle Three
What about Samantha's paternity?
February 05, 1999:
Left unanswered: the burning question of Fox Mulder’s paternity. (Duchovny is going the Star Wars route, assuming CSM is Mulder’s Darth Vader of a father: ”It makes mythological sense.” Carter will only add, ”We haven’t said definitely not. What we have said is that he is definitely Samantha’s father.”)
Post Fight the Future and the narrative crafted in Demons and Redux II has not changed; post One Son, the narrative has not changed; post Closure, the narrative remains firm. Samantha Mulder, then, is canonically confirmed to be Carl Spender's daughter-- which makes sense why he kept her with him, and aligns with his twisted form of love (inflicting pain on those closest to him ala Jeffrey and Cassandra and Mulder and Tena and Deep Throat and Bill Mulder and etc.)
Although Mulder's paternity was in a constant state of flux, Samantha's was not; and even though CSM shifted his opinions on Mulder's paternity ("Bill Mulder's son" in One Son, "my son" in Amor Fati)-- and canon still waffled as late as Requiem-- his beliefs of Samantha's did not.
Which makes the Clone!Samantha situation in Redux II that much worse... especially considering that even William B. Davis thought she was the real deal:
May 1999:
What about the scene in Redux with Samantha, for example? Well, he certainly thought she was the real Samantha and that’s how he played it. Then a year later, he heard someone say, “No that wasn’t her,” and his reaction was “huh?”.)
The Conclusion to This Mystery
In short: the writers did not plan for anything; Samantha was cemented as CSM's before they extended the patriarchal branch to Mulder; and Mulder's biology was an afterthought-- like many aspects of the show-- that became crippled in service to the "next big thing."
So: what does this mean for Bill and Tena Mulder?
WHAT IS THE TRUTH?
The X-Files's writers originally wrote Mulder and Samantha to be normal, though tragically separated, siblings; and would have created (and cast) their parents with that idealized conception in mind. However, as canon evolved, so, too, did their aspirations; and so, too, did the bounds of believability.
If Bill and Tena Mulder are the biological parents of both children, then either one (or both) would have had to suffer from infertility until the successful birth of Fox Mulder. Streak now broken, it would-- theoretically-- have been easier to conceive Samantha three years later: a bump enough in the timeline to logically point to another round of fertility struggles.
Or their quick turnaround could serve as proof that Samantha was CSM's-- a shortcut for Tena, exhausted and unwilling as she might have been to wait another ten years to (perhaps) become successfully pregnant again.
If CSM and Tena Mulder are the biological parents of both children... that raises more questions.
At what point did Carl Spender suspect that both Mulder children were-- if they were-- his?
Samantha was traded in her brother's stead, but that was a decision that came directly from Bill Mulder. Did he suspect that Samantha wasn't his? I don't believe so: Bill was genuinely fragile after "Samantha's" return in Colony; and genuinely grieved, shattered, and angered after her "death" in End Game (projecting that pain onto Tena to guard himself.) Further, Mulder stated that Samantha's disappearance "tore the family apart": the comfort and love both children received from their father (as shown in Dreamland II's family videos) came to an end as Bill retreated into his alcohol and Tena into her bitter condemnation. It was a matter of time before Mrs. Mulder and young Mulder moved out, leaving Mr. Mulder to his broken misery.
To add more credence to my claim, I defer to the Well-Groomed Man's revelation in Fight the Future:
"Without a vaccination, the only true survivors of the viral holocaust will be those immune to it - human alien clones. He allowed your sister to be abducted, to be taken to a cloning program, for one reason..." [to survive.] "Your father chose hope over selfishness. Hope in the only future he had, his children. His hope for you was that you would uncover the truth about the project. That you would stop it, that you would fight the future."
Bill Mulder, then, believed both children were his; and Bill Mulder, then, died believing both children were his-- his daughter who he traded away, and his son who he lied to and begged to "forgive me" on his deathbed.
TWO FATHERS, ONE SON
Despite canon's later solidification, I find One Son rather fascinating to study through the lens of Bill Mulder as Fox Mulder's biological father (as was originally intended):
In a deleted flashback (with Mulder's father arguing where Krycek now stands), Bill predicted the holes in his compatriots' plans, horrified in the face of the anticipated trade:
The scene then immediately transitions back to Mulder, the parallel between their dispositions and circumstances carefully planned and executed: parallel father and son, yet distinctly different men--
What's particularly striking is that the script actually had purpose for Fort Marlene's ill-fitting shoes: symbolism. Mulder has to (metaphorically) take up his father's mantle; and finds that it doesn't provide enough room-- Bill Mulder was a "smaller" (though well-intentioned) man than his son has become--
During the confrontation in Diana's bedroom, CSM refers to Jeffrey Spender as "my son" and laments that Mulder has turned Jeff against his sire-- as Bill Mulder attempted to do with the Syndicate, all those years ago:
CSM continues to draw parallels between both Mulders, establishing that he, himself, does not know Mulder is his biological child (if he is....)--
--and after psychologically subduing yet another Mulder--
--he leaves the younger man defeated and broken in the dark: history repeating itself.
And, as a thought exercise, I went back even further to Colony and End Game: Bill Mulder was severe and cold and unfeeling in both scripts (thanks be to the actor's decision to inject some nuance and personality)... except for one moment:
Mr. Mulder briefly cracks through the crust he'd built up in self-protection at the thought-- the culmination-- of his daughter's return. Bill Mulder, then, still needs her to come back but is too burned, beaten, and fearful to truly believe or hope (unlike his son.)
Although Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz, and the rest changed their minds later, this "tell" stands as a powerful moment, nonetheless. (...And proves that CSM was still in the dark about Mulder's paternity. I wonder if he found out after Jeffrey Spender's bloodied DNA matched Mulder's in the system? Who knows.)
THE LEGACY OF THE MULDER CHILDREN
Fox and Samantha Mulder were born into a destiny neither of them chose: parents who threw them into the jaws of a Conspiracy in an attempt to save the future. Fate, then, decreed they were doomed to a dark world on the brink of teetering hope.
Freewill, however, fought it back: Bill Mulder was sucked into a game beyond his control, yes; but he let Edward Skur go (Travelers), tried to save both his children through a convoluted stratagem (Fight the Future, One Son), and was willing to face death to regain his son's last shred of respect and understanding (Anasazi.) Samantha Mulder was bartered to an alien race (Pilot, One Son) and returned to brutal tests inflicted by her biological father, yes (Sein und Zeit); yet, she escaped, and ran for help, and chose her own end (Closure.) Fox Mulder inherited his father's quest and expectations, yes (Travelers, Pilot); but he chose to trust in "the truth" as a principle and Dana Scully as his touchstone.
In a way, the nature of Bill Mulder's life-- and his children's, by extension-- can be fulfilled (fate) or subverted (freewill) with interesting degrees of similarity: either Fox Mulder and Samantha Mulder share CSM's tainted blood but choose to rise above it, or Fox Mulder (at least) carries on Mr. Mulder's legacy (genetically-- via his DNA-- and characterologically-- via the same impulse to expose the truth.) And perhaps both can be true: that the spirit of Bill Mulder lives on in his children-- his children, no matter what.
Regardless, Bill Mulder left his mark.
CONCLUSION
And that concludes the last of the Mulder Family meta saga (hopefully.)
The Truth Is Out There: the First Official Guidebook, and Analyses (All Parts)
Lowry's first entry to The X-Files's official guidebooks is enlightening. Highly recommend you pick up Book 1 and 2 (which I'm halfway through), at least-- it really contextualizes what was going on behind the scenes, in a good way.
The Truth Is Out There: Dispelling the Lingering Mysteries behind Chris Carter
The X-Files: A Day-in-the-Life On-Set
The Truth Is Out There: Gillian Anderson, a Resilient Rising Star
The Truth Is Out There: David Duchovny, Collaborator and Vancouver Captive
The Truth Is Out There: The Villains and Morally Gray
The Truth Is Out There: the Lone Gunmen
The X-Files (In-Depth): Scully's Pregnancy, Mulder's Abduction, and the Truth Behind Requiem and Season 8
Lastly, let's hear a word from the men, the myths, the legends: the Lone Gunmen.
Previous parts of Brian Lowry's Book 1 are here, here, here, here, and here. All transcribed quotes will be italicized, and all unimportant context will be omitted, of course (go read the book!)
BITS FROM THE BOOK
Though it [“E.B.E.”] features a memorable sequence where Deep Throat discusses his motivation in helping Mulder-- having killed an alien while working for the CIA-- this episode’s most lasting and durable legacy has clearly been the Lone Gunmen, the paranoid conspiracy theorists who periodically aid Mulder. The idea first arose when producer Glen Morgan and writer Marilyn Osborn (“Shapes”) went to a UFO convention in Los Angeles in June 1993, shortly before Morgan and James Wong began to write any material for the series.
Morgan recalls a trio of guys-- dressed similar to Langly, Byers, and Frohike-- sitting at a table pushing what he describes as “a mixed bag of paranoia.” According to Morgan, “They started telling people about the magnetic strips in twenty-dollar bills, and in no time there were a half-dozen people tearing up ten- and twenty-dollar bills.”
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Tom Braidwood
As it turns out, a snide joke and fortuitously timed trip to the men’s room reactivated Tom Braidwood’s acting career, though he was and continues to be happily ensconced on the other side of the camera.
Braidwood, a first assistant director on “The X-Files”, happened to be walking by while the producers considered actors to play Frohike. At that moment, director William Graham-- a long-time acquaintance-- noticed him and as legend has it observed, “We need somebody slimy… someone like Braidwood.” He emerged from the bathroom to be greeted with a chorus of “Ah, Frohike,” and a star was born.
Braidwood concedes that he didn’t have much voice in the matter but has enjoyed his return to acting. “I always missed it,” he says, and in the last year he’s been mulling over doing stage work if time permits during the summer.
Born during September 27, Braidwood acted in theater before finding steady employment behind the scenes on shows like “Danger Bay” and “21 Jump Street”-- the latter a credit he shares with “The X-Files” co-executive producers Glen Morgan and James Wong, who created the character and thus inadvertently launched his second career.
Despite his duties as an A.D., Braidwood says his periodic appearances are fun for the crew (who have labeled a bicycle he rides around the studio the “Frohike Mobile”) and by no means an imposition….
Lone Gunmen scenes, he adds, “are usually done pretty quick and dirty. We say, ‘Did we get all our words out okay? Alright, move along.’”
…Based on Frohike’s lecherous nature in past episodes, in fact, Braidwood says he’s fond of telling people that it’s “pretty tough being the only romantic interest on a major TV hit.”
Dean Haglund
…Well known on the Vancouver stand-up comedy and improvisation circuit, Haglund won the part of the Lone Gunmen’s most flamboyant member from more than 30 aspirants who auditioned.
Born July 29, Haglund remains a member of the improvisational Theatersports team-- whose stage works include such spooks as “Star Trick: The Next Improvisation” and “Free Willy Shakespeare.”
…Haglund didn’t meet Harwood until he got the part of Langly, having initially read for it with a number of other actors. “Even the audition was weird, ‘cause I was on the phone for half the… audition,” he jokes.
Since he usually spends Friday night on stage, Haglund was almost entirely unfamiliar with the show, though his role has lured some of the show’s die-hard fans, X-Philes, out to see him live. “They watch a bunch of shows, they get really partied up and come to see me. They start screaming, and I’ve got to perform with my friends saying, ‘Wow, who are these guys?’” Haglund says, while adding that there are also still folks on the comedy club circuit who’ve never heard of the show….
Bruce Harwood
“I don’t get funny lines,” says Bruce Harwood of his role as Byers, the most nattily attired of the Lone Gunmen.
Not that he’s complaining, since he clearly relishes his part in the series….
Harwood, born April 29, sees the character of Byers-- known for his severe suits-- as a professional who moonlights as a conspiracy theorist. Like Haglund, he had zero familiarity with the show before being cast and had no idea the trio would ever appear again until being called back for a second episode, “When I came on set I started hearing weird stories about how popular we were,” he says.
Harwood actually attributes wardrobe to part of the Gunmen’s appeal, because they look so incongruous together, with Langly a long-haired rock ‘n’ roll type, Byers looking like a neatly trimmed professor, and Frohike a classic dirty old man…. “That’s why they work,” Harwood suggests. “That’s how it visually defines itself.”
The Gunmen play a clearly defined role, he adds, by moving the plot along in an interesting way, sharing their paranoid conspiracy theories with Mulder and thus providing necessary back story. Still, as a late convert to the show, Harwood notes wryly that once he started watching the series he couldn’t figure out at first “why if Mulder has all these people helping him he’s nowhere near the truth.”
That said, Harwood is eager for the trio to provide Mulder with all the help he can handle, for as long as he needs it, to keep himself working. “At least four or five times a year,” he adds quickly. “We’re counting on that.”
Philes
…Fans of “The X-Files” wasted no time in coining their own nickname: “X-Philes”, the “phile” derived from the Greek word ‘philos’, meaning “to love.”
“The X-Files” launched its own World Wide Web site on June 12, 1995, but fans were becoming involved in the series well before that. Delphi, the on-line service, estimates that 25,000 people go in and out of sessions pertaining to the show on a monthly basis, more than all other Fox series available via the service combined.
At least four regular on-line sessions are schedules, with a Sunday night David Duchovny Fan Club (one group of female fans held a “virtual birthday party” for the actor on his birthday, including gifts; another group call themselves the David Duchovny Estrogen Brigade), a Tuesday discussion of paranormal phenomena, a post-show party each Friday, and another hour discussing the series on Saturday. There’s also a less formal but not-to-be-outdone Gillian Anderson Testosterone Brigade, who by all accounts tend to be a bit more restrained than their feminine counterparts.
The Internet has even prompted fans to forge in-person relationships….
On top of that, “The X-Files” conventions have proliferated since the first San Diego gathering was attended by roughly 2,500 people in June 1005. A total of 20 conventions have been scheduled through the end of calendar-year ‘95….
…Carter, too, makes it clear that he feels a special affinity for, and duty to, the show’s core audience. “I felt,” he says, referring to his early close encounters of the ‘net kind, “as if I was working for these people.”
TRIVIA
Tom Braidwood’s favorite episode is “Dod Kalm.”
Dean Haglund’s favorite episode is “Tooms.”
Bruce Harwood’s favorite episode is “Humbug.”
“Colony”: In the old-fashioned know-how department, after a technician devoted hours to creating a sound effect for the alien stiletto, which the writers had told him they wanted to “sound like alien technology,” co-producer Paul Rabwin settled the matter by vocally making a “Phffft” sound into the microphone.
“Fearful Symmetry”: Episode titles in the series are always obscure, and this one comes from William Blake’s poem “The Tyger”.... The construction site where the tiger is shot is also named Blake Towers after the poet.
“Die Hand Die Verletzt”: The characters “Paul Vitaris” and “Deborah Brown” are named after prominent on-line X-Philes. “Crowley” High School evokes the memory of British ceremonialist Aleister Crowley, whose theories on “magick” shocked his contemporaries and heavily influenced the development of modern Wicca. Airiong on the eve of Super Bowl XXIX, the producers-- long-suffering San Diego Chargers fans-- also indulged themselves in a little personal gag in the opening credits, where they were listed as James “Chargers” Wong and Glen “Bolts, Baby” Morgan.
“The Blessing Way”: Certain Navajo scholars had alerted the producers to some cultural inaccuracies depicted in “Anasazi,” so Chris Carter was invited to attend a Navajo night chant and the Native American Church Peyote Ritual in preparing “Blessing Way,” which is named for an actual chant. Carter considers attending the ritual a great honor but does admit jokingly that it was “excruciatingly painful to sit on the ground, Native American-style, for eight hours” during the ceremony.
“The Blessing Way”: A tag at the end of the episode reads, “In Memoriam. Larry Wells. 1946-1995.” Wells was a costume designer on the series.
“Paper Clip”: “Paper Clip” also carries a memoriam, this one to Mario Mark Kennedy, 1966-1995, a major fan of the show who had organized on-line sessions on the Internet. Kennedy died in a car accident.
The Truth Is Out There: The Villains and Morally Gray
In this post, we'll get to hear from 1995 A.D. Skinner, Mr. X, the CSM, and Ratboy Krycek.
Previous parts of Brian Lowry's Book 1 are here, here, here, and here. Transcripts below will be fonted in italics; and unnecessary segments or information will be pruned, of course (go read the book!)
BITS FROM THE BOOK
…Though he isn’t shooting that day, actor Mitch Pileggi (who seems to create quite a stir among the female office staff) also pops by to look over dailies, or raw footage, of a fight sequence featuring him shot earlier in the week.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Mitch Pileggi
If part of an actor’s bag of tricks involves drawing on life experience, then Mitch PIleggi has more luggage at his disposal than most performers could even carry.
…While his professional background may not have provided much inspiration, Pileggi did draw on part of his experience-- albeit in a manner that was both unplanned and extremely personal-- in creating the role of Skinner….
“I based him on my dad a lot,” says Pileggi who father passed away not long after the show’s premiere. “It was something that I wasn’t doing consciously, but my mom and my brothers picked up on this quite a bit.
“I guess I was doing it unintentionally, and my mom called me up one time and said, ‘you know, I’m watching Dad.’ It really touched her.”
Pileggi describes his father as “very big stuff in my life,” an operations manager for a Defense Department contractor whose work led his family all over the world. At home he was a loving family man, the actor notes, while at work “he just kicked…. But then again, he was very tough, very stern, but very fair with his employees, too. Hopefully, that’s what’s coming across in Skinner.”
Born April 5 in Portland, Oregon, PIleggi began traveling with his family when he was only seven and, as he puts it, “didn’t stop moving till a a long time later.”
His father’s work took him to Turkey for most of his youth, and after attending high school there and college in Germany, Pileggi began working for the same company in Saudi Arabia, shuttling back and forth to the U.S. He later did some work for another contractor in Iran.
Pileggi was in Turkey during two coup attempts and often passed through Beirut for visa purposes going into Saudi Arabia. Ultimately, he was one of the last Americans to get out of Iran as the government fell there, with barely enough fuel to reach the airport in Athens. “It was really hairy,” PIleggi says. “I thought…. ‘I’m not sure I want to do this anymore.’”
Pileggi returned to the U.S. and, having done some acting in high school and at a junior college, “just started messing around with it….”
The muscular, 6’2” actor (who says he’s “a basket case” if he doesn’t work out every day and, in what must be an imposing sight, loves to Rollerblade) subsequently was cast in Shocker, a movie directed by horrormeister Wes Craven. The producers were looking for someone “evil in a sexy kind of way” to play the role of psychotic killer Horace Pinker, and Pileggi won the part from a field of about 50 contenders. His audition, in fact, was so scary that producer Marianne Maddalena moved her chair away from him, taking a seat on the other side of the room. “She was sweating,” he recalls. “It was actually very funny.”
…Pileggi auditioned for “The X-Files” unsuccessfully two or three times before he was cast as Skinner. Prior to that session he remembers thinking, “‘Why are they calling me back in? They didn’t hire me before.’ So I went in with a bit of an attitude for this meeting [about playing] Skinner. I was kind of grumpy and not in very good humor, and fortunately, Chris thought I was acting, ‘cause it suited the character.”
Only later did Pileggi learn that he had lost out on earlier parts by a hair, or lack thereof. The burly actor (who remains Los Angeles casting director Rick Millikan’s proudest “find” and tends to get considerable notice from women around the set) was shaving his head at the time, which was why executive producer Chris Carter couldn’t envision him in those roles. In retrospect, because they would have been one-shots, “and then Skinner wouldn’t have been available to me.”
…”Up to this point it’s just the situation he’s [Skinner] been put in,” he says, suggesting that Skinner also wants to find the truth but goes about it by more conventional means than his subordinates.
Concerning End Game: “Steven [Mr. X] came up with some wonderful ideas,” Pileggi says. “He’s the one that suggested that Skinner head-butt him back, and when he said that I said, ‘Yeah, that’s really great.’ I think that’s something Skinner would have done: ‘Head-butt me? Well here, take this.’”
Pileggi recalls director Rob Bowman telling him to use more force shoving Williams against the elevator wall, and on the next pass he nearly put him through it. “The whole back of the elevator started coming out. We just about knocked it down,” he notes.
Pileggi also received a number of letters from Vietnam veterans due to the story Skinner relates about his tour of duty during “One Breath,” which the actor found particularly gratifying. The character is clearly developing his own following among fans as well, though Pileggi quickly points out that everything is relative based on the time he spends with “The X-Files” stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. “I go out to dinner with David and it’s like they don’t even see me, which is all right,” he chuckles.
…After all his traveling, in fact, Mitch PIleggi sounds like someone who’s found home. “This is what an actor dreams about-- either having a feature career or getting a series [character] on a quality show like this,” he says. “I just couldn’t be happier.”
Steven Williams
…“I am still in the dark as much as the audience is about X,” he says, referring to the character he began playing near the start of the show’s second season, a high-level government source who has taken Deep Throat’s place in helping Agent Fox Mulder, albeit with some reluctance and a decidedly ruthless streak. “They keep me so in the dark it’s pathetic.”
Still, the likable actor (who, in contrast to his character’s grim demeanor, has a disarming and ready laugh) wouldn’t have it any other way-- except, perhaps, for more advance notice as to when he’ll be needed to shoot and some assurance that I won’t suffer the same fate as his predecessor, Deep Throat. Demonstrating X’s savvy survival instincts, in fact, Williams isn’t above urging people to lobby for him to hang around.
…He landed the role on “The X-Files” at the last minute (an actress had originally been cast in the part), based to some degree on his relationships with some fellow “Jump Street” alumni, including producer/director David Nutter and co-executive producers Glen Morgan and James Wong….
Despite his congenial nature, Williams says he has no problems getting himself into the stony frame of mind required to play X…. “It’s just automatic,” he says. “They go, ‘Action,’ and bam, I’m Mr. X. I’m just able to switch on and off like that and trick people.”
Although the actor initially considered trying to learn what makes X tick, ultimately he decided he’d be better off maintaining a certain mystery. “The less I know about him, the more interesting he becomes. That’s the way I’ve been playing him,” says Williams. “The biggest thing about X is that he’s a survivor. He’s said that: ‘I don’t want to die.’ While he is icy and cold, you can see fear in this man.
“I thought about trying to do all that stuff [to prepare], and then I thought, ‘No, this is working for me.’” For that reason, Williams has done his job the old-fashioned way. As he puts it: “You read the words and look at the situation, and you put yourself there.”
Acting has put Williams in a lot of different places. Born January 7 in Memphis, Tennessee, until age nine he was raised principally by his grandparents (his parents had divorced), living in a farming community where his grandfather was a baptist minister.
After a stint in the army, Williams worked as a shoe salesman in Chicago, quitting his job in 1972 to begin modeling and later working with a children’s theater group. The modeling led to commercials, stage work, and eventually two nominations for the Joseph Jefferson Award.
…In a field fraught with unemployment, Williams notes, “From the moment I started doing this I’ve never had to do anything else. I’ve always been able to make a living acting… thank God.”
….Williams says he also enjoys the nasty streak he’s allowed to exhibit on “The X-Files”, from his cold-blooded execution of another operative in the episode “One Breath” (“I like that iciness, that coldness”) to X’s brutal encounter in an elevator with Assistant Director Skinner in “End Game.” Close friends have been most startled by the character, he says, telling him, “Man, you’ve tapped into a dark side of yourself.”
According to Williams, he actually helped stage X’s tussle with Skinner, having developed an interest in fight choreography and the martial arts while working with Chuck Norris on the second “Missing in Action” movie. “In these close quarters, I said, ‘How ‘bout a nice head-butt for openers?’” Williams recalls. “Skinner is the same type of guy, so he head-butts… back…. These aren’t guys who are interested in having a long fight. They’re interested in taking you out and getting out of there.”
Williams has done most of his work with David Duchovny, who he describes as “a pleasant guy” if not exactly a drinking buddy. Still, the two aren’t above sharing a laugh to break the tension, especially when someone flubs a line. “The stuff is so heavy sometimes that you’ve got to do the other side just to lighten it up,” he says.
While he felt a bit constrained at the outset, Williams is pleased with the way his role has unfolded and doesn’t even mind the fact that he plays one of the few recurring characters in primetime without a regular name. Asked what he thinks X’s John Hancock might be, the actor pauses, admitting that he hasn’t given the notion much though. “Leroy,” he says after a beat, laughing loudly. “Leroy Williams. Which is why he calls himself ‘Mr. X.’”
Nicholas Lea
Despite appearing in a relatively small number of episodes, Nicholas Lea-- who has made his presence felt as FBI Agent Alex Krycek… says his affiliation with “The X-Files” has already paid dividends when casting people in Los Angeles to recognize him from the show. “That instantly breaks the ice,” he says, “especially for an actor who is from Vancouver and doesn’t know anybody down there.”
Lea didn’t take up acting full time until the age of 25, after going to art school and singing in a band. After the group broke up he met an acting coach and, having always wanted to give it a try, took the plunge headfirst. “I went and quit my job the next day and started acting,” he says, admitting now that he perhaps felt “a little bit bulletproof at that point.”
After landing parts in Vancouver-based television shows and some low-budget features, Lea earned his first real exposure with a recurring role in ABC’s “The Commish”, where he also met his girlfriend, Melinda McGraw, who played Scully’s sister Melissa on “The X-Files”.
Lea did more than 30 episodes of “The Commish”, turning up on “The X-Files” in the first-season installment “Genderbender”.... The one-shot role particularly impressed director Rob Bowman, who kept him in mind for a return and immediately though of him for Krycek….
Born on June 22, Lea was the only actor considered in Vancouver for the part, which he thought would simply be a three-episode arc. When he heard he had been cast, Lea remembers running into the gym where Melinda was working out and screaming with joy.
…Krycek brought with him an ill-defined past. “That’s an actor’s job really, to come in with a history of who that person is,” Lea explains, saying he did research on the FBI and wrote an entire back story “about who this guy was and where he was from. Hopefully, then, the decisions that you make in a show are, like anybody, motivated from their past. There’s a whole psychology that goes behind that.”
Krycek’s traitorous doings earned him the nickname “Ratboy” along the Internet, as well as a small cadre of admirers who call themselves “The Ratnicks.” Lea says he’s honored to have merited that kind of attention from fans.
Lea has done most of his scenes with David Duchovny, and the two have become friends, though it would be difficult to tell based on their self-choreographed fight in the second-season finale “Anasazi.” “It was really nasty,” Lea says. “That’s what we were after-- not your regular TV fight.”
…Lea adds that he’ll remain ready to put on the character of Krycek-- and whatever nickname the show’s fans may be calling him-- at a moment’s notice. “I’ll always drop whatever I’m doing to come up here and do this,” he states, emphasizing his affection for “The X-Files” crew.
“They’re the best group of producers I’ve ever worked with, and they’ve given me a huge opportunity here. It’s easy to go through this business and get jobs and go, ‘Yeah, see you later,’ but these guys here have really opened up something for me, and that’s priceless.”
William B. Davis
…Davis did smoke once but quit long before his stint on “The X-Files” and puffs herbal cigarettes while playing the menacing character known as the Cigarette-Smoking Man….
The well-traveled actor and drama teacher appeared in “The X-Files” pilot as a shadowy figure who participates in covering up material found by agents Mulder and Scully, but he didn’t actually speak a line until “Tooms,” 20 episodes and several months later. Davis directed and taught acting for most of his professional life until he took some acting classes as a brush-up technique to help his teaching. “I started thinking, ‘Maybe I’ve learned something here, telling people all this time what to do,’” he recalls, before beginning to pursue acting in earnest around 1980.
Born in Toronto on January 13, Davis started out as a child actor, then attended the University of Toronto and later the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. After directing theater in England for five years he returned to Canada, where he was involved in theater and then radio for the Canadian Broadcasting Co.
Davis continued to teach and still serves as director of the William Davis Centre for Actor’s Study, having moved to Vancouver to run the Vancouver Playhouse Acting School in 1985….
The Cigarette-Smoking Man has little or no history on which to base the character, and in Davis’s eyes not much of a personal life about which to theorize. “I think he’s just burnt,” he says. “‘Workaholic’ would be to underestimate him. There is no other life, there is no other purpose, than what he is pursuing.”
Davis laughs at the question of whether the character has a more conventional name but finds plenty of implied symbolism in how he’s presented, particularly in the juxtaposition of evil with fire. Although reluctant to come out and say that he’s in essence playing the Devil, “What other name could I have but Lucifer?” he asks with a sheepish smile, quickly adding that the Cigarette-Smoking Man sees himself not as evil but rather as being “on a crusade to save the world.”
The Canadian native does admit that the role presents one constant challenge, since the tall, distinguished-looking actor clearly has a bit of an accent that he has to concentrate on masking in playing a lifelong Washington bureaucrat. “I have to watch my vowel sounds,” Davis says.
With his acting career occupying more of his time, Davis has scaled back a bit on teaching. His students, meanwhile, have taken an interest in and developed admiration for his on-screen work, with one even suggesting that the Cigarette-Smoking Man himself is an alien who thrives on carbon monoxide. Davis shrugs it all off. “Back in the days when I was still silent,” he says, with a smile that bears little resemblance to his character, “people asked me to give classes on how to ‘look’ sinister.”
TRIVIA
Mitch Pileggi's favorite episode is "End Game."
Steven Williams's favorite episodes are "End Game" and "One Breath."
Nicholas Lea's favorite episode is "Duane Barry."
William B. Davis's favorite episodes are "End Game" and "Anasazi."
“End Game”: “End Game” is also memorable for the confrontation between X and Skinner. Mitch Pileggi recalls taking a few accidental shots to the groin in slamming Steven Williams against (and nearly through) the fake elevator wall. Williams suggested the dueling head-butts, saying there was a psychological as well a s a physical aspect to the encounter. The scene grew out of a need to have Scully discover where Mulder was, since only X knew. Finally, Carter simply told writer Frank Spotnitz, “Why can’t we just have Skinner beat the information out of X?”
“The Blessing Way”: The episode contains several interesting nuances relating to the series both on and off-screen-- such as having Krycek, played by Nicholas Lea, shoot Melissa Scully, played by his real-life girlfriend Melinda McGraw. Mulder also talks in his sleep about wanting sunflower seeds, having discussed inheriting his father’s taste for them in the second-season episode, “Aubrey.”
An extract from this (very long) 1995 Chris Carter post.
CRUSHING TIMELINES AND ULTIMATE FREEDOM
…The Los Angeles office, housed in its own bungalow, is nicely appointed but relatively spare.
The [Los Angeles] office itself is bustling this particularly morning, as writers move in and out--- occasionally invading the space of researcher/officer manager Mary Astadourian, where various drawers full of research material are kept. In there, the scribes will find literature on the paranormal, diseases, viruses, and various monsters, with folders that carry labels like “Roswell” or “Loch Ness.”
…Part of the morning is devoted to the regularly scheduled writers’ meeting, with the entire staff… assembling to go over that week’s script, blocking out the teaser and all four acts….
The other writers question each nuance, throwing out suggestions to refine the story and make sure it’s clear…. Despite the need for exposition, Carter also stresses not letting the pace drag, wanting to spread action within the hour (or more precisely, 44 minutes or so minus commercials) allotted them. “Make sure you keep it hoppin’,” he says.
…Eventually, it’s suggested they shift some action from the second act into the first in order to achieve the proper sense of pacing. The move requires some reconfiguration of other plot elements, but once those are blocked out the producer and other writers seem content. “That works for me,” says Carter, sending the show’s writer off to do another rewrite.
Carter’s daily schedule, however, is just beginning. The writers’ session is followed by what’s known as a concept meeting-- a teleconference with the staff in Vancouver to grapple with various production issues before the begin filming a new episode….
Other issues involve the number of extras they can use….
Because money is always an issue, and time a luxury the crew usually doesn’t have, compromise and ingenuity remain key….
The producers also pride themselves on finding means of scavenging resources, then developing different ways to capitalize upon them. A prime case involves the crew getting access to a Canadian Navy destroyer that was then used in three different episodes, including “Dod Kalm”... and “End Game”.... “It’s fun,” Carter says, “to make something out of nothing.”
Episodes must be plotted down to the most minute details-- in part because Carter is a perfectionist, and in part because the show is under a microscope now, with fans picking and nitpicking every conceivable aspect. Issues raised include what sort of garb Native Americans depicted should wear, with an emphasis on being as faithful as possible to tribal customs. (A Navajo group has complained because a character wore his hair down, something the elders in that tribe wouldn’t normally do, in the episode entitled “Anasazi.” Carter subsequently visited a Navajo reservation and attended one of their ceremonies.)
From a more practical standpoint, the Vancouver team wants to know whether they can wardrobe the actors in blue jeans because some postproduction special effects shots use blue-screen, which essentially eliminates that color.
The L.A. staffers are also assured that a shoot-out sequence will be top-notch, with bullet hits and ricochets plus a movie-style car explosion. Can it be done? “The answer’s yes… with disclaimers,” quips Beck good-naturedly adding, “One big disclaimer: How much money you got?”
…The crew clearly takes enormous pride in the series, which presents them with such challenges on almost a daily basis and allows them to put their skills to the fullest possible use. Some freely admit, in fact, that they’ve been spoiled by their involvement with "The X-Files" and would have a hard time working elsewhere. “They’d have to drag me kicking and screaming off this show,” Gauthier says.
The same goes for makeup special effects supervisor Toby Lindala…. Still, Lindala has proven up to most any task, with the Flukeman-- a costume his crew created in 10 days that had to weather water and other shooting ordeals-- still his proudest accomplishment. “That was probably the most insane undertaking for a time period,” says Lindala, who worked a 28-and 28-hour day during that stretch to get the suit ready in time. Even so, Lindala grew up watching monster movies and isn’t complaining, relishing the opportunities the show has provided to fool around with such projects. “I love making ‘em,” he says.
Goodwin, a veteran producer who has worked on such series as "Life Goes On" and "Mancuso FBI", now tries to provide more lead time to prepare such major undertakings, but in most instances Lindala and his team (four people, including Lindala, work full time in that area) have just seven days’ notice to put a makeup effect together, and his services are needed in virtually every episode.
…Careful planning remains the main hedge against both cost and time crunches, with Goodwin pointing out that in television time essentially translates directly into money. “The quicker you have to do it, the more it costs,” he says, adding that while some in the industry are tempted to cut corners, “My motto is, ‘Quality, whether they want it or not.’”
…Kim Manners, also one of the show’s pool of directors, lauds Carter for treating each installment like a mini-movie. The process gives the individual directors-- who in episodic television, which is dominated by executive producers, are often viewed as transient guns for hire-- the opportunity to truly ply their trade. “He insists that you go out and be a filmmaker,” Manners says. “He doesn’t want you just go out and be a traffic cop.” Because of that freedom, he adds, the show is “the zenith of my career.”
…Unlike most television shows that shoot on location, on "The X-Files" whoever scripted that particular episode goes to Vancouver to scout out locations and do other preparatory work. “To make sure,” as story editor Frank Spotnitz puts it, “everything is in sync with what the writer had in mind,” from casting to production design. In the cryptic vernacular of the show, the process stems from commitment to “purity control.”
…For the episode in question, that means co-executive producer Howard Gordon, the only member of the writing staff other than creator Chris Carter who has been with the show virtually since the beginning, has made the sojourn to Vancouver. “As a writer, you don’t get that experience on any other show,” says Gordon.
…Other matters have also arisen, some remarkable in their degree of minutia. Gordon’s script for the episode being prepared, for example, contains a seemingly innocuous reference to being “in the mood for some Quarter Pounders,” and Fox’s legal department wants them to clear the wording with McDonald’s…. “That’s a great line,” says an only slightly exasperated Manners…. Hours later, it’s decided to change to a more generic term rather than hassle the legal issue.
…A later shot involves disposing of the [dead] cow, and Gordon-- a city kid from New York-- has actually researched the matter…. …But in light of McDonald’s headache, Carter has another suggestion. “How ‘bout if we just have a truck with golden arches on the side?” he jokes, spurring laughs from everyone in the room.
…The attention to detail, again, proves remarkable, driven by Carter’s commitment to perfection.
The entire process involved in shooting an episode of "The X-Files", from the first day of preparation to the last day of postproduction, usually takes six to eight weeks, with the seven days of preparation key to ensuring that the eight days of production that follow go smoothly-- though even the enormous effort that goes into planning can never account for every detail that can delay filming and raise blood pressure rates all around. In the middle of the season, as time grows shorter, there’s occasionally been as little as five weeks from prep to air.
Just two days before shooting is to begin, Manners, Gordon, Carter, and co-executive producer R.W. Goodwin cram into a small audition room, where they’re scheduled to see more than 20 actors in just over an hour….
Manners, Gordon, and about 15 crew members, including special effects ace Dave Gauthier, production designer Graeme Murray, and others from various departments, later embark on a technical survey. They pile into an air-conditioned bus to scout out all the locations that will be involved in the upcoming shoot, usually a six-to-eight hour pilgrimage. “And this is the easy part,” laughs set decorator Shirley Inget.
Carter follows the group to the door but has too much work at the office to come along. “I’m gonna miss this one, you guys,” he tells them, which is met with a collective “Aw” from the bus.
…The bunch straggles back to the studio around 7:30 P.M., almost eight hours after their departure. On a near-by soundstage, meanwhile, Bowman is directing stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, trying to keep the level of enthusiasm up with another long night of work to do. Shooting is frequently a tedious process, with long lapses between the action as shots are set up. The two stars carry out an emotional scene in front of an elevator that isn’t really an elevator, with a crew member behind the soundstage wall sliding a wooden door closed to approximate the effect. “I love it!” Bowman proclaims as the scene ends, watching the shot through a monitor and lauding his star as “One-take Duchovny.”
Outside, Anderson’s baby, Piper… plays with various staff members as well as her father, assistant art director Clyde Klotz, who’s just returned from the technical survey. Piper shows off her mother’s piercing eyes and frolics later with Duchovny’s dog, Blue (his constant companion on the set), both seemingly fascinated with and a bit perplexed by the other. "The X-Files" is, indeed, a family affair, underscored when Goodwin brings his 10-year-old son and a friend into the production office the next morning, the latter collecting autographs from everyone on that week’s script.
A short time later Duchovny and Anderson arrive, enjoying a few quiet moments while Piper plays nearby in a small red tub, watched carefully by her nanny. …Though he isn’t shooting that day, actor Mitch Pileggi (who seems to create quite a stir among the female office staff) also pops by to look over dailies, or raw footage, of a fight sequence featuring him shot earlier in the week.
…Bowman has to deal with five actors (Anderson, Duchovny, and Gunmen Dean Haglund, Bruce Harwood, and Braidwood) in a relatively confined space, so the staging will be critical. After Bowman aligns them one way, Duchovny suggests an alternative in handling the shot, and various configurations are tried. As they begin rehearsing, everyone still seems a bit punchy, and the mood is light. Haglund keeps wanting to call a Nazi scientist “Kempler” instead of “Klemper”, and Duchovny has a hard time not laughing each time Braidwood (who comes up roughly to the actor’s chin) approaches him, with Frohike supposed to act relieved to see Mulder alive after the events that closed the second season. “Did you ever see the Star Trek where Spock thought that Kirk died?” Duchovny tells him with his trademark deadpan delivery. ‘That’s what you want to be doing.”
Production ultimately won’t conclude until near 2 A.M. that morning….
