Gillian Anderson, star of The Crown and Sex Education, has given a blunt response about her iconic X-Files character Dana Scully. In an interview with Radio Times, the 58-year-old actress was asked if she missed playing the sceptical FBI agent. She said: “No, I don’t. In part, that’s because I played her for so long.”
Long-running role and revival
The X-Files originally aired from 1993 to 2002, spawning two films before its cancellation. The series was revived between 2016 and 2018, with Anderson and David Duchovny reprising their roles as Scully and Fox Mulder. Anderson appeared in 213 episodes and also wrote and directed the instalment All Things, according to the Mirror.
Career and influence
Despite not missing the show, Anderson’s portrayal of the highly intelligent investigator inspired many women to pursue STEM careers, an effect known as the ‘Scully Effect’. Since leaving The X-Files, she has built a diverse career, from London’s West End to BBC dramas like Bleak House and Great Expectations. She also gained acclaim as detective Stella Gibson in The Fall.
Current projects and new film
Her other notable TV roles include Hannibal, The Crown, and Sex Education. Upcoming projects, per IMDb, include The Boys from Brazil, The Julia Set, and Animals. Anderson is currently promoting her new meta-horror film Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma with Hannah Einbinder. Einbinder plays director Kris Williams, who is hired to reboot the Camp Miasma franchise and casts Anderson’s Billy Presley, the original final girl. As filming progresses, Kris becomes drawn to Billy, and reality begins to blur. The film releases in UK cinemas on August 21.
