‘The X-Files’ Revival Update: Gillian Anderson Finds It Difficult To Awaken Agent Scully

While David Duchovny is getting tearful over The X-Files revival, Gillian Anderson is having an entirely different reaction. Ms. Anderson reports that she’s been finding it difficult to get back into that that Dana Scully mindset, after having spent so much time away from her iconic role. The intervening years have led her to other successes that may even overshadow her former character on The X-Files, simply because roles on such shows as The Fall and Hannibal have been more recent.

Aside from the 2008 film, X-Files: I Want to Believe, Gillian hasn’t stepped into Agent Scully’s shoes since The X-Files series finale aired in 2002 and, as Ms. Anderson can attest, 13 years is certainly a long time, an era come and gone.

“It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve played her,” Anderson said. “I can’t remember what year the movie was, but it felt like [Scully] was further away from me than I’d thought she would be. But I’ve also worked really hard at putting her entirely to sleep, so that was successful; she’s just taken longer to wake up.”

Gillian recalls the weeks just prior to beginning work on The X-Files revival and the busy schedule that prevented her from truly appreciating what returning to The X-Files would mean to her, personally. Ms. Anderson says there were so many projects going on at once with the third season premiere of Hannibal taking front seat to most of it, that she’d had very little time to get excited about coming back to The X-Files. All of that changed once Gillian arrived in Vancouver.

“I think since I’ve come up to Vancouver [to shoot The X-Files], I’ve become more excited, emotional and embraced the journey we’re about to go on. I’m actually really excited,” Ms. Anderson said. “I don’t think it initially hit me in the first read, but it was more to do with my needing to compartmentalize and not really address the fact that it was all about to happen until I actually got up here because there were too many other things I have to think about.”

Speaking of The X-Files revival, Gillian tells fans that the first episode in particular is “slow, intense, and functional,” because the premiere episode of The X-Files revival is “setting groundwork, so it’s got a particular role to play.”

The X-Files revival, which is currently untitled, is scheduled to premiere on January 24, 2016 on Fox.

[Featured image: Gillian Anderson courtesy of Jason Merritt/Getty Images]