X-Files creator says producers originally didn’t want Gillian Anderson for lead role

Anderson did not fit their ‘idea of sexy’, says writer Chris Carter

The creator of X-Files has said that studio executives initially didn’t want Gillian Anderson for the lead role in the series.

Chris Carter, the creator of the hit sci-fi series, has recalled Fox executives pushing back against his casting choice when he pitched American actor Anderson, 55, for the part in the early 1990s.

In a new interview with Inverse, Carter recalled studio executives asking him “Where’s the sex appeal?” about Anderson.

Her appearance seemed to be a point of contention between the executives and Carter.

“Even though Gillian’s beautiful, she wasn’t their idea of sexy,” he explained. “First, because they didn’t understand what I was trying to do with the show. And she was an unknown, so that never helps.”

Anderson was eventually cast as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the hit series, which ran for nine seasons between 1993 and 2001. It was revived for two more seasons in 2016.

The show’s success ignited Anderson’s acting career, which has seen her land roles in Netflix’s The Crown, Sex Education, and the BBC drama series The Fall.

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in ‘X-Files’ (FOX)

Anderson previously opened up about the network disagreeing with her casting.

“All these other actresses from the theatre community in New York were being flown in because I wasn’t good enough for The X-Files,” she said on the NPR podcast Fresh Air. “So I was auditioning suddenly with Jill Hennessy and Cynthia Nixon.

Gillian Anderson pictured at the Golden Globes in January (Getty Images)

“Anyway, eventually I ended up getting the job.”

Carter’s comments follow his announcement that there will be a reboot of the series, seven years after the revival series aired on Fox in 2016.

Carter, however, will not be involved in the reboot, and he will hand over the reins to Black Panther director Ryan Coogler.

​​Coogler’s previous credits include Fruitvale Station, Creed, and, most recently, the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

There has been no official announcement from 20th Television. The Independent has contacted the network’s representatives for comment.

Whether or not Anderson and her co-star David Duchovny will feature in Coogler’s reboot remains to be seen.

Carter said he had a “really nice conversation” with Coogler when the reboot was first pitched to Fox.

“I just asked him what his ideas were, and he told me, and I said, ‘Those sound like good ideas,’” he recalled.

While Carter is in full support of the reboot, he said that it won’t be an easy job for Coogler.

“No matter what, he’s got a hard job,” he says. “Casting is a hard job. Mounting it is a hard job. All the problems that I dealt with are going to be his problems.”