Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny became household names playing FBI agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder on ‘The X-Files’ from 1993 to 2018. Their onscreen partnership started as platonic and later turned romantic.
Before the show made the characters’ relationship official, the two actors shared a real kiss at the 1997 Emmy Awards. Despite being in a relationship with someone else at the time, Anderson’s public display sparked rumors of a possible off-screen romance with Duchovny.
The actress cleared up the incident in a recent TikTok video:
“The fact is that David and I were actually living together and [then-boyfriend] Rodney [Rowland] was my beard … I’m joking. That’s just a joke. Was that really mean? I don’t know why I kissed him first … I guess because he was on the show with me and we were practically married because we spent more time with each other than we did with our loved ones. And we were there to celebrate the series. So yeah, maybe that’s what it was.”
She also noted that the kiss didn’t bother her then-boyfriend:
“Rodney was a great guy. I don’t think it bothered him. He understood. It was complex. That’s all I got.”
The Onscreen Couple May Return
‘The X-Files: Fight the Future’ movie planted the seeds of romance between Scully and Mulder a year after the Emmy kiss. The fictional couple’s relationship became official in the main show’s sixth season.
Now, plans are underway for a series reboot with Ryan Coogler as the director, and both Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny showed interest in reprising their roles there.
Anderson discussed her possible comeback in the reboot on the ‘TODAY’ show:
“There’s a chance it will happen. Whether I am involved in it is a whole other thing, but in his hands … But I am not saying no, because I think he’s really cool, and I think if he did it, it will be done incredibly well, and maybe I’ll pop in for a little somethin’ somethin’.”
Duchovny shared with The Hollywood Reporter:
“I don’t wake up and wonder, ‘Where is the ‘X-Files’ stock today?’ But I love that show. I don’t know what my character would be like at my age. It’s an interesting question. That show can address the present as well as it addressed the ’90s. It just depends on Chris [Carter] or the other writers. I’m always like, ‘Hey, let’s see.’”
While details remain under wraps, the upcoming reboot will reportedly have a brand new ‘diverse cast.’
