Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • Services
    • Aircheck for Actors
    • Demo Reels
    • Audition Prep/Self-Tape Reader
    • Website Design
    • Mailing Labels
    • Contribute
    • Industry Links
    • Advertise
    Daily Actor
    • Acting Tips
      • Actors on Acting
      • Advice Columns
      • Acting Quotes
      • Audition Tapes
      • How To Become An Actor
      • How to Memorize Lines
    • Monologues
      • Monologues from Plays
      • Monologues from Movies
      • Monologues from Musicals
      • Comedic Monologues
      • Dramatic Monologues
      • One Minute Monologues
      • Monologues for Women
      • Monologues for Men
      • Monologues for Teens
      • Monologues for Kids
      • All Monologues
    • Acting Resources
      • Acting Resume
        • Acting Resume Template
      • Acting Classes
        • Los Angeles Acting Classes
        • Las Vegas Acting Classes
        • San Diego Acting Classes
      • Acting Schools and Colleges
        • Los Angeles
        • New York
        • BFA Acting Schools
      • Casting Websites
      • Headshot Photographers
        • Los Angeles
        • New York City
        • Headshot Printing
      • Acting Techniques
        • What is Method Acting?
      • Stage Directions
      • Demo Reels: Everything You Need to Know
    • Interviews
      Featured

      Interview: Jeremy Davis on Playing Olaf in ‘Frozen’, Costume Mishaps and Making the Role His Own

      January 19, 2023
      Recent

      Interview: Jeremy Davis on Playing Olaf in ‘Frozen’, Costume Mishaps and Making the Role His Own

      January 19, 2023

      Interview: Casting Director Kim Coleman on ‘Five Days at Memorial’, Self-Tape Tips and Portraying Real People

      January 11, 2023

      Interview: David Christopher Wells on His Role in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, Being an Understudy and Getting His MFA

      December 27, 2022
    • Actor Blogs
    • Reviews
      • Movies
      • Theater
      • Books
      • Products
    • Actor Services
      • Airchecks
      • Demo Reels
      • Website Design
      • Mailing Labels
    Daily Actor
    Home » Actors on Acting » Gillian Anderson on Getting Cast in ‘The X-Files’: “I lied about my age on the first audition”
    Actors on Acting

    Gillian Anderson on Getting Cast in ‘The X-Files’: “I lied about my age on the first audition”

    Chris McKittrickBy Chris McKittrickMarch 1, 2021No Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Share
    Tweet
    Pin

    “I had no experience whatsoever. I’d only ever done, you know, a couple of plays and scenes in college.” – Gillian Anderson on ‘The X-Files’

    On the X-Files, Gillian Anderson played Dr. Dana Scully, even though when the series started filming the 24 year-old Anderson was younger than most medical doctors would be (and also four years younger than the character). So how did she land the role?

    Well, as Anderson told NPR, “I lied about my age on the first audition. So I said that I was 27. So that’s how you get that job.”

    Of course, there was more to getting the job than just adding a few years to her age, especially since the network wasn’t sold on her as the series’ female lead. Anderson went into more detail:

    “I was sent in on an audition, like any other audition, and then kept getting called back and, eventually, you know, went to network with all the other girls who were also trying out for the role, going to network and getting to read with David Duchovny, who they had by that point chosen as Mulder. But they weren’t convinced – Chris Carter, who created the series, was convinced that I was his Scully, but the network wasn’t.

    And so all of a sudden, they started to fly in all these other actresses from the theater community in New York. And I’d been living in LA for a little while when I did this audition and had been living in New York beforehand, auditioning with all these young women in the theater community. And all of a sudden, they were being flown in because I wasn’t good enough for The X-Files (laughter). And so I was auditioning, suddenly, with Jill Hennessy and Cynthia Nixon and all these women.”

    Reflecting on what The X-Files has meant to her and her career, Anderson spoke about how she felt that she didn’t know what she was doing when filming the first few episodes and learned about both acting and herself from the experience. She says, “I mean, it was – you know, it was the beginning of such a huge part of my life. And I had no experience whatsoever. I’d only ever done, you know, a couple of plays and scenes in college. And so it was – you know, it was a big deal. And I didn’t know anything about, you know, lighting and hitting your mark. And so I was – you know, if she comes across as being a little bit cocky and at the same time green, it’s all, you know, real (laughter). It’s me trying to pretend like I know that I am the person that I say that I am, as the forensic pathologist.”

    Related

    Share
    Tweet
    Pin
    Previous ArticleCharlie Hunnam on Why Acting is Exiting and How He’s Creating His Own Opportunities
    Next Article 4 Ways to Instantly Fall in Love in a Scene

    Related Posts

    Interview: Jeremy Davis on Playing Olaf in ‘Frozen’, Costume Mishaps and Making the Role His Own

    January 19, 2023

    Interview: Casting Director Kim Coleman on ‘Five Days at Memorial’, Self-Tape Tips and Portraying Real People

    January 11, 2023

    The 6 Keys To Getting Headshots That Work For You, Not Against You

    January 5, 2023
    Add A Comment

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Popular Pages
    Become An Actor | Acting Tips | Acting Quotes
    Acting Resume | Resume Template
    Headshot Photographers
    Los Angeles | New York
    Print Your Headshots
    Acting Schools & Colleges
    Los Angeles | New York
    Monologues
    Movies | Plays | Comedic | Dramatic
    Men | Women | Teens | Kids
    • Contact
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Resource Listings
    • Write A Column
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy

    Disclaimer: Daily Actor at times uses affiliate links to sites like Amazon.com, Masterclass, streaming services, and others. Affiliate links provides compensation to Daily Actor which helps us remain online, giving you the resources and information actors like you are looking for.

    Daily Actor Facebook Daily Actor Twitter Daily Actor Instagram Daily Actor Pinterest Daily Actor YouTube Page
    © 2023 Daily Actor

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.