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‘X-Files’ Pay Shocker: Gillian Anderson Breaks Her Silence About Her Contract

By Louis Babcock
Published on: 05:34 PST, Mar 11, 2016

Earlier this year, The X-Files returned for a very short reboot. Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny reprised their roles as FBI agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, respectively. The popular show is based on a government conspiracy to hide the fact that aliens exist and walk among us. Mulder is determined to find the truth by claiming that “the truth is out there.” Now, Gillian Anderson is making sure that “the truth is out there” about the disparity in pay between her and Duchovny. Anderson aired her grievance on The Jonathan Ross Show, which airs tomorrow in the United Kingdom.

“We got the phone call with what the offer is, we knew what David’s offer was this time around and it was twice as much as my offer was. Which is stupid really because I’m going to find out and worked really hard for parity back [when the show became a hit] and was kind of shocked.”

When The X-Files first aired in 1993, Anderson understood why she was not being paid the same amount of money as Duchovny. At the time, Duchovny was more of a star than Anderson. Gillian essentially was an actress who was unknown. As the show gained popularity and momentum, Anderson wanted to renegotiate her contract since it was clear that both Mulder and Scully were vital to the show’s mythology.

“I knew that from the beginning and there was a reason why [David Duchovny was being paid more than me] because I was starting from nothing and he had just done a big film but there was a certain point where we were doing the same amount of work and it was time to renegotiate. And I did.”

Even though Gillian was able to renegotiate her X-Files contract in the 90s, she was still insulted by being offered half of Duchovny’s salary. It has always been clear that Gillian and David were equal in their ability to draw the audience into the X-Files universe. While speaking on The Jonathan Ross Show, Anderson explained further about the negotiating process between her and FOX.

“[It was] last year. Yes. I don’t know, it was silly. It’s always been that David’s team does the negotiating and then I just say, [I want what he’s having] basically.”

Based on that quote, it can safely be assumed that Gillian was able to negotiate a higher salary for the X-Files reboot than the one she was initially offered.

Gillian Anderson, Amy Adams, and Emma Watson have been some of the many Hollywood actresses fighting to bridge the pay disparity gap between male and female stars. This is not a new phenomenon in Hollywood. Male actors have always been paid more than their female counterparts. One of the reasons for the pay disparity is thought to be that movies starring females do not sell as well as movies where men are the star.

Alan Horn, the chairman of Walt Disney Studios, does not buy that theory.

“Audiences have proven that there’s an appetite and a market for dynamic female leads and female-driven stories, and as an industry, we have a responsibility to create those roles for women and compensate them accordingly.”

Based on the ratings for the X-Files reboot, Gillian Anderson is worth the money. The ratings were so large that FOX wants to have new episodes made. Gillian, David, and others involved in the show all seem open to the idea, although it may come down to how much money everyone will be offered.

Do you think Gillian Anderson should have been offered the same amount of money as David Duchovny?

[Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP]

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