Gillian Anderson on RealTime, March 16/96


This is a summary of Gillian Anderson's appearance on RealTime on the CBC, March 16/96 (just the parts where she was hosting the show and talking with Leora Kornfeld.) Please excuse any minor misquotes!

(As of 2019, an audio version of this is now available. This is a very large MP3 file, just over 90 megabytes in size. Songs which were played during the show have been abbreviated to the beginning and end, or removed. This transcription is around 65 minutes long.)

GA arrived in the studio just off a plane from LA where she was doing a screen test for some unspecified film. When Leora asked GA about all the mags she's been on and in recently, GA said she was keeping them in a safety deposit box.

GA said she wanted to avoid questions about (1) whether Mulder and Scully are going to "get together"; (2) comparisons between GA in real life (a believer versus a skeptic on the show) and David Duchovny likewise; (3) questions about whether she is like the character of Scully in real life in general.

GA talked a bit about the fact that she lived in England from age 2-11 and had an English accent until she was in college. People would ask "where are you from?"

An e-mail from Oklahoma said that recently women entering college are making their occupational goal as "FBI agent". Some professor has dubbed this the "Scully factor." GA said this was great, that she was glad that Scully was such a positive role model.

When asked about her favorite episode(s), GA said she likes those which involve her character on an emotional level, i.e., Irresistible, By the Sea, Piper Maru.

The XF feature film is "definite", but no further details were announced.

Asked about the Screen Actors Guild award, GA said she had her thank-you speech under her butt! She was very nervous, and when they announced her name as a winner, she said to herself, "What the hell am I gonna say?"

Naomi, a 12-year-old extra on some of the XF shows calling by phone, asked GA if she needed a babysitter!

GA said she introduced the Foo Fighters at an LA concert a while back.

A question about the episode Colony stumped GA when she was asked to identify the location of the clinic in the show. So did a question about the name of a Norwegian techno group who released 3 versions of the XF theme on a CD. (This last question was sent in by e-mail from some guy named "Mike" in "Canada" ... hmmm ... I wonder who that could be?!? ";-)

While talking with some guy named Paul, GA said her mother's nickname is "Posy". Paul asked GA to marry him, and GA replied, "I'm not a Mormon..."

Rebecca from Ontario asked GA about what would have happened if GA had pursued her original career of marine biologist (also Rebecca's field). Another trivia question asked GA how many XF shows featured psychics ... the caller claimed there were twelve.

As to whether Mulder wears boxers or briefs, GA said "boxers" ... same with DD!

After taking a call from Australia, GA discussed some pictures of her in People mag with her sister Zoe and brother Aaron. GA said she didn't brush her hair for four years!

A trivia question as to what Deep Throat did in the Vietnam War, GA said "I guess he posed for a lot of black and white photos." (Alleged correct answer: he was in the CIA.)

In response to a caller from New Zealand, GA said her "most challenging" role was in Beyond the Sea. To a caller from Louisiana, GA said some people originally thought that the XF crew would travel from state to state in the US while filming!

To a junior caller in Vancouver, GA said when she was little, she was interested in marine biology, geology, archaeology and "all other other 'ologies'." She said she gets to dig up lots of things now on the XF! When the caller asked if GA knew how to join CSIS (Canadian spy agency), Leora said "Call the government!" and pointed out that most Vancouver government phone numbers start with "666."

When asked to comment on the naughty photos of her appearing in Rolling Stone and FHM, GA said she thought the RS photo was "classy" and "risqué". She said the intention with these pix was to get away from the "Scully suit image". She said "now it's over, I've done my dirty deeds." She pointed out Chris Carter has a bandaid on his finger in the RS pix.

When asked about Scully's sexuality, that the character is "more repressed" than Mulder, GA said "Mulder gets to jump people's bones." GA suggested "it's about time" that Scully had a relationship!

A father sent in a picture of his 2-year old son asking if the kid can have a date with GA's daughter Piper when the two of them are around 16. GA said this was "sweet" and that she will show a copy of the message to Piper "when she's 25."

GA will return to RealTime in the future, and will play yet more of her favorite music.

Melinda McGraw, who played Scully's (now deceased) sister on the XF, was recently in an independent film with Kevin Spacey.

GA commented on the posting of her high school yearbook pix and related material on the World Wide Web. GA said that the song lyrics beside her picture are not her own, they are lyrics which were written by her boyfriend at the time. GA found it "strange that somebody would take it upon themselves to do that" (post stuff like this). She named names, including the creator of this WWW page! GA said tabloid shows have been visiting her high school, City High School in Grand Rapids trying to "get dirt" on her, but have had no luck.

Someone asked if GA would mind if they named a band "Agent Scully." GA said that was cool, she has heard a couple of dogs and a couple of boats have that name.

When asked about Piper's current vocabulary, GA said Piper's favorite word is "no." She can say "Hi, baby" and something like "Gillian", but not "Scully".

That's it ... GA then went to participate (unsuccessfully) in IRC.


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