The X-Files co-stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are good friends now – but things couldn’t have been more different on the set of the hit supernatural show, where the pair worked together for 13 seasons and struggled with their relationship behind the scenes.
The pair have both been vocal about their off-camera feud but recently reunited to discuss it on David’s podcast Fail Better. Speaking about joining him for the podcast, Gillian said: “When I first started listening and had reached out to you, I wasn’t thinking about it necessarily in terms of me or talking to you about the book.
“It was just more about really enjoying it and listening to the depth of your conversations that you were having with people and appreciating that I felt like I was learning more about you than I knew, or than I ever knew.”
David replied: “We know each other very deeply and yet we don’t know each other either, in some weird way.”
© Acey HarperSpeaking about their relationship while filming The X-Files, David explained: “There was a long time, working on the show, when we were just not even dealing with one another off-camera. And there was a lot of tension.
“Which didn’t matter, apparently, for the work because we’re both [expletive] crazy, I guess. We could just go out there and do what we needed to do.” He also said that he could have “handled [himself] better.”
Gillian agreed, adding: “That is kinda crazy. I mean, it’s crazy that we were able to present on camera, you know, the various feelings and emotions and attraction and all that kind of stuff, but then not speak to each other for weeks at a time.”
Despite their fall-out, the pair spoke about their bond now over the shared experience, with Gillian saying: “We have a closeness that we don’t have with probably many other people and went through something that we didn’t go through with any other people. I mean, yes, there were crew and etcetera, but in terms of our experience as actors. And so, I thought it would be a curious investigation.”
David added: “When you share a seminal kind of experience in your life — this huge success with the show that we had — only we know what it’s like to be in the centre of that. It’s almost like being in the same family. We know what it was like to be raised in that time. There’s a certain kind of shared experience, knowledge, and past that never goes away.”
The pair have both been frank about their feud in the past, with Gillian previously telling The Guardian: “There were definitely periods when we hated each other. Hate is too strong a word. We didn’t talk for long periods of time. It was intense, and we were both pains in the [expletive] for the other at various times.”
In 2008, David told The Guardian: “We used to argue about nothing. We couldn’t stand the sight of each other.” We’re glad they’ve made up now!
