Thursday, June 11, 1998
‘X-Files’ to intrigue faithful without alienating non-fans
FILM: Eagerly-awaited movie will investigate conspiracies,
aliens, romantic possibilities
By Aimee Phan
Daily Bruin Staff
A movie based on a television series is nothing new. But when it
is from a television show that is still on the air and happens to
be "The X-Files," then it’s a whole different story.
Since the summer movie season started with a whimper (because of
critically anemic movies like "Deep Impact" and "Godzilla"), people
are looking to the feature film based on the mega-popular Fox show
to make some noise.
In the ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills,
actors Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, director Rob Bowman and
series creator Chris Carter sat down with journalists to discuss
their new movie, fueling anticipation of a project whose script has
been kept under wraps since its conception. The secrecy, no doubt,
has caused even more excitement and curiosity over what the show
has in store for the film version.
"The X-Files," which began in 1993, has proven to be one of the
most popular TV shows in the ’90s, turning Anderson and Duchovny
into household names, and inspiring legions of fans to watch
religiously and bond through the hundreds of Internet sites devoted
to the show.
The premise of the show is beguilingly simple yet complex:
Paranoid, driven FBI agent Fox Mulder (Duchovny), who believes in
aliens and government conspiracies, is paired up with realist agent
and doctor Dana Scully (Anderson), who is convinced that everything
bizarre can be explained by science. Together, they compose the
X-Files division – and battle for the truth against aliens,
monsters and the scariest of all villains, the people secretly
controlling the U.S. government from smoke-filled back rooms.
Their adventures for the past five seasons have turned the show
into one of the most talked-about television series in America and
around the world.
This summer, the creators and stars of the show hope to take it
to an even more mainstream level with a movie version that will
entertain current fans and encourage new audiences to become
addicted. In a unique marketing strategy, the film picks up where
the series left off in May, and will consequently lead into the
sixth season of the show in the fall.
One of the challenges for the producers during the movie’s
planning stages was creating a movie that could appeal to both fans
and those unfamiliar with the show. Carter is confident that the
movie is easy to follow for those who haven’t seen the television
series but innovative enough to entertain longtime fans.
"(The movie) was designed to work for both fans and non-fans,"
Carter says. "The thing I didn’t want to do is alienate the devoted
people out there, the fans. You don’t want your character
development to be irritating to the already initiated. We didn’t
want to bore the people who already knew who Mulder and Scully
were. Certainly, they are the most important. But you do want to
make a movie for everyone."
Since the television show is still on the air, the only chance
for the actors to do the feature film was during hiatus, the
precious summer months television actors normally use to take a
break from their small screen personae and try other things. But
Anderson says she feels privileged at the chance to continue
playing Scully.
"I still am very grateful to have the opportunity to spend this
time with her in my life," Anderson says. "I never really tire of
her. I sometimes tire of the scenarios if they feel like we’ve done
them before, but I think I’m always in the state of gratitude for
the opportunity to be with her."
Anderson also doesn’t mind that people often confuse her with
the intelligent and independent character she plays on TV.
"What better character to have that happen to you with because
of who she is as a human being," Anderson says. "To be perceived as
being that intelligent and that passionate and that strong and
having that much integrity, it’s a blessing if anybody thinks I’m
remotely like she is."
And Duchovny seems to be as close and as proud of his character
as his co-star is of hers.
"I’m in love with Mulder," Duchovny deadpans and smiles. "I have
a lot of respect for the character, and I wouldn’t allow him to do
certain things that I didn’t think were integral to his character.
I think he’s a kind of questing hero."
A special treat in the film for fans will be discovering the
solutions to some of the show’s most intriguing mysteries, a risky
move for a television series that thrives on giving more questions
than answers. But Carter believes that in resolving some of these
mysteries, fresher storylines will be able to emerge.
"For five years, we’ve answered questions and then taken them
back," Carter says. "But here, this was the opportunity to answer
some questions. It puts a new twist on the series and new
storytelling opportunities. It had to be a big story. It had to
have the truth. It had to have more than the TV series gives you on
a weekly basis."
Another interesting advantage of the feature film that the
series has never approached is the possibility of the two agents
exploring a different side of their normally platonic relationship,
something Carter once denied would ever happen. But since the show
may be evolving into a film franchise, Carter may be changing his
mind.
"I’ve said ‘no,’ that it would never happen, but as I’ve always
said about the show, anything can happen," Carter says. "But I
think it would be bad for the series if they did and if the series
were to go on."
Anderson agrees. "I think that if the film became a franchise
and the series was no longer continuing, there would be more room
for that. But certainly for the series there’s no room for the
romance between the two of them."
And since this is the movie, there is one suspiciously intimate
scene in which Mulder and Scully come this close to becoming more
than just friends.
But Carter rationalizes that any display of affection between
his characters doesn’t necessarily mean they must be romantically
involved.
"Mulder and Scully love each other, and kissing would be a
natural expression of those feelings," Carter says. "But I think
it’s a line they never thought they would cross. If you have a
strong, respectful, passionate feelings toward another person, I
think it’s the purest kind of love that they have, not a romantic
love in the sexual sense."
So while the film does reveal more of the characters’ complex
relationship, the main plotline – of course – is their
investigation of a government conspiracy and aliens, a plotline
that the television show has been refining since its beginning.
Although the story is complete fiction, Carter admits that the
paranoid and distrustful regard of the government is not.
"I’ve created my own conspiracies and I’m happy to play with
those," Carter says. "But they are certainly fueled all too often
by picking up the paper and seeing that the government has indeed
exposed us to radiation without telling us and is only now
apologizing for it. We see these things with regularity, and that
is why we are paranoid. There have been too many instances of this
in our world."
Duchovny, on the other hand, is more doubtful of the prospect of
a conspiracy to cover up the existence of aliens because most
people wouldn’t be able to keep quiet.
"I think the odds are better than not that there are aliens, but
I doubt that we’ve contacted them, and I seem to think it’s a hard
secret to keep," Duchovny says. "I don’t know if you’ve ever tried
to keep a secret, if you’ve ever thrown a birthday party for
somebody and tried to keep it a secret – but then try and make that
an alien. People don’t keep secrets and not secrets like this."
Whether you’re a believer or not, everyone behind the making of
the film is banking on their stars and the television series’
devoted following to make it one of the bigger hits of the summer.
Director Bowman is confident that the film will succeed because of
its mainstream appeal and the buzz surrounding it.
"I think the anticipation is so high, people are waiting to
know," Bowman says. "And they’re also waiting to tell. And as soon
as people see it, they’re going to go home and tell their friends
that you don’t ever have to have seen the series, you can go see
it."
And Anderson is quick to point out that this isn’t your typical
action film, heavy on special effects but light on human
interaction.
"What I was struck by greatly in the movie was the love story,"
Anderson says. "You really end up caring about these characters,
which I think is quite rare in action-adventure films. It kind of
offers up the best of two different worlds."
FILM: "The X-files" opens June 19.20th Century Fox
Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny star in the X-Files
movie.