Nobody blinks when theres a monster lurking around the set ofThe X-Files.
But what happens when a superfan invades the production?
I turned to Darin and said, Its just likeThe X-Files!
I was seeing that image that Ive seen on TV hundreds of times.
Darin was like, Yeah, thats what were making.
Then came his big scenes with Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny.
A pro like Anderson could smell Nanjianis lack of composure from a mile away.
They even let Nanjiani record the private conversation for hisX-Files Filespodcast.
Our perspective is: Do you remember that night when it was 5 a.m., freezing our fingers off?
And hes going, Thats when you did that amazing scene!
A new appreciation came out of that.
For Duchovny, those small moments of reflection need to be fleeting when theres a job to do.
(Did you really think they could kill off William B. Davis iconic villain that easily?)
The only hope is a stem cell transplant from their long lost son, William.
Then, finally, a white light and a UFO thrust fans into yet anotherX-Filescliffhanger.
Fear that Fox would cancel the series without a satisfying conclusion was short-lived.
So coming back, I really just got to do what I had anticipated and wanted to do.
Were imagining that these characters have a life lived out in real time.
As the show ages, they age too.
And they certainly could have a life beyond any particular season.
Its not a Monster-of-the-Week, its more like a Mulder and Scully on the run throw in thing.
Theres a lot of science in it, Pileggi says.
A lot of chemistry and relationship between the two.
Theyre still able to catch that thing that the fans loved so much about these characters.
These are themes weve seenThe X-Filesexplore before.
Why retread familiar narrative ground?
The truth is still out there, but its harder to hit than ever before.
No contemporary television show captured the zeitgeist in the wayThe X-Filesdid.
In a flash, Fox had one of the hottest properties on television.
We were caught up in a whirlwind, Anderson says.
It was quite a long time afterward before it hit me.
Anderson recalls the intense early years when they filmed 24 episodes in nine months.
Its kind of unfathomable how hard we worked back then, she says.
AsX-Filesmania reached its fever pitch, it became nearly inescapable.
A 1995 headline in theHartford Courantasked, Can X-File Conventions Reach Trekkian Proportions?
I have my convention virginity intact, he told the magazine.
Its nice to do a good show, but I want to be able to move on.
Doing conventions is a way of not moving on.
I meet people who like the show all the time, and I shake hands.
I dont need to get paid $15,000 to go to some convention.
In 20 years I might.
I should get credit for being really good with my prediction.
Now, having been to conventions, you see all of Hollywood comes to these conventions.
Its been a revolution.
Over the years, it has become easier for both Duchovny and Anderson to engage with the fandom.
Its always a pleasure, Duchovny says.
And its your job to accept that.
She credits the forward-thinking, fiercely independent nature of her character.
To see that continue is extraordinary.
The new generations of fans are just as passionate, according to Pileggi, who still frequently attends conventions.
He says its gratifying to know the show has held up this long.
Parents are turning their kids onto the show, and the kids love it.
They love the characters and they are excited when they see the actors.
Others shows have great fans, but our fans have stuck with us for a long, long time.
It used to be people would see [the show], process it, and form their opinion.
And that would be the end, Nanjiani says on the big shift in fandoms over the years.
People really want it to follow the path they see in their head.
Now, feedback flies directly into writers inboxes and mentions.
These fans want Mulder and Scully to get together, Glen Morgan says.
These fans just want a monster show.
These fans hate you because youre so liberal.
These fans hate you because youre so conservative.
But this is also a line of thinking that Morgan bashfully asks to leave for greater minds than his.
I think people can still look to the show and go, What do you guys have to say?
You were one of the first to start saying it, so what do you have to say now?
I hope that were answering that.
Duchovny was more blunt about the freaky abduction of sanity in recent years.
Id like to think the Fox News outlet has done that, not us.
In some ways, its brought them closer together.
When pressed one more time for a tidy soundbite to summarize the shows legacy, Duchovny refuses to budge.
His method is in the moment, and thats not something hes ready to look past.
Lets put it that way.
