Transcribed by alfornos
Translated by Elli and Deb (on
alt.fan.david-duchovny)
From German GQ Magazine, October 1998
Mr. X
by Ulrich Loessl
Photographs by David LaChapelle
He writes poetry, thinks Kafka and Beckett are funny and has the
highest
IQ in Hollywood. X Files cult hero David Duchovny is a superstar.
The Truth Is Out There – this tagline usually opens every episode of
the TV cult hit "The X Files". Now one half of the duo regularly searching
for the truth has arrived at the Kempinski Hotel at the Ku'damm. However,
it's not Dana Scully a.k.a. Gillian Anderson I'm facing, but her colleague
Fox Mulder, respectively David Duchovny. All in black, he could easily be
mistaken for the main speaker at the existentialists' congress "Sartre vs.
Camus".
Two years ago, actress Téa Leoni confided during an interview that
she was, recently divorced, looking for her own Mr. Right. He had to be
intelligent, self-ironic, understanding, tender and, of course, extremely
sexy. Six months later she wed David Duchovny. Leoni, who is a sort of Park
Avenue femme fatale, has finally found her Prince Charming. Duchovny smiles
when I relate that story. But more about Leoni later. Now I'd like to discuss
three other things with him:
'Sex, money and shit' are the three most interesting things in life, you
once said. In which order would you like to discuss them?
I'm supposed to have said that? Oh, I distantly remember. Well, I meant it
in this way: You can instantly start a conversation about these three things
with anyone you happen to meet anywhere in the world, regardless of their
origin, color or education. That's phenomenal, don't you think?
I can understand about 'sex and money' – but what about the other?
Well, for example, I've had intense discussions with people about the color
of the droppings their dogs left on God's green Earth on certain occasions.
You own a dog yourself. Would you perhaps like to...?
Not really.
Let's change the subject. So: Sex and money. There is nothing about which
men lie more.
I agree.
Let's put this theory to the test: Do you dress left or right?
That's already been a hot topic of discussion, when I wore a tiny Speedo
during one episode of the X Files. You couldn't tell then and I won't tell
now. Sorry!
But it's true that you make $110,000 per X Files episode?
I've read differing versions about that, too. I don't want to actually divulge
the exact figure, but of course my pay has increased since the beginning
of the show. It took three years for the X Files to become one of the most
successful shows ever. It's aired in more than 60 countries. In the US we're
up to the 5th season and there will be at least two more.
Is it true that you only landed the part of FBI agent Fox Mulder because
you wore a tie with pink piglets at the casting?
No. The creator and executive producer of the X Files, Chris Carter, expressly
asked me not to wear it. Being cast in a role in an American TV show is a
very weird, not to say, barbaric procedure. Unlike in the movie business,
you're not chosen by the director or producer, but by the respective
representatives of the TV station.
Can you elaborate?
It's like being in one of Kafka's stories: there are 400 guys in gray-blue
suits with boring ties, sitting judgment on you. It's either 'thumbs up'
or 'thumbs down'. Although Chris Carter and the director wanted me, I had
to be "approved" by the station. And for this meeting I showed up with my
piglet tie – even though everybody advised me not to.
Has this "Fuck You" attitude aided you in your career?
That would be great! What has helped me is the awareness that there is a
life outside of show business. I became an actor at the age of 26 –
rather late – and I therefore had enough time to get acquainted with
reality. I went to college, studied literature and philosophy and had gained
a perspective on life. That's what made me immune to the wide-spread collective
madness in this business. When I became famous at the age of 34, I didn't
get knocked off my feet – as I would have been at the age of 20. I knew
who I was before all the brouhaha began, no matter what other people thought.
What was the highest price of being famous?
I've lost my anonymity. I haven't been able to move about freely in public
for years.
Isn't that the end of any creative spontaneity for any actor?
I hope not, but you're right: One of my most important jobs as an actor is
to watch people and learn from them. And I don't mean these "plastic people"
on the top floors of the studios.
Excuse me for saying this, but one could really feel sorry for you.
Don't worry, I get paid a lot of money in damages. All kidding aside, you
have to imagine this: The X Files is filmed in Vancouver, Canada. I feel
like I've spent the last five years in a sort of military base. Twelve hours
in front of the camera, the rest of the time alone in my apartment. I felt
like a soldier off the main war area. On the one hand it was good because
nobody could stop me from concentrating on my job, on the other hand I was
totally isolated. When I went to LA during a longer filming break I felt
like an alien.
Was it then that you got yourself a dog?
Yes, that was extremely important for my inner balance. She was a substitute
for family, a lover and friends. And I saved the money I would have spent
on a therapist. She's called "Blue", after the Bob Dylan song "Tangled Up
In Blue".
Under such conditions, how did you manage to stay true to yourself?
I must have had a lot of reserves. Sometimes, however, I felt like one of
those rock stars shortly before selling out. Isn't it obvious how many good
bands sound sterile after the second or third album? On the first album they
sound fresh and authentic. They sing about ordinary things which describe
real life: the hard work waiting tables in a bar or driving across America
in a car. And then, after they've become rich and famous, they write lyrics
about how lonely hotel rooms are and how they're being screwed over by their
managers. Who is interested in that?! The same happens to actors, however
less ostensibly. Many of the really good ones have become caricatures of
themselves, though.
To whom are you referring?
I won't name names. If you look closely, though, you will see what and whom
I mean. I've always found it physically as well as mentally difficult to
open up in front of the camera and show off my inner self. It's like your
own emotional prostitution.
No-one forced you to become an actor...
... and that's why I'm not complaining. It's just difficult for me if it
cuts too deep into my emotions. And there's no difference between TV and
movies. I always strive for realistic character portraits.
You once said that your parents' divorce – you were 11 then –
pushed you into acting.
I meant that the divorce made me lose my innocence and it made me grow up
very early. You can reach maturity over a long period of time – or it
can be caused by a catastrophe such as in my case. At that time I experienced
how my parents' divorce tore me up inside. And, in order to fill that hole,
I tried to express myself "artistically". It was then that I started writing
short stories and poetry, as I still do now. As I said, I became an actor
much later, but the reason was the same.
Your first acting job was in a commercial for Löwenbräu beer.
Yes, I had to throw pretzels into the air and catch them with my mouth. Very
funny. At the beginning I only took those jobs because of the money. I didn't
have to spend my nights as a bartender for weeks, but just show up for filming
these commercials. It was good, easy money.
Do you write poetry?
Yes, just yesterday I wrote one on the plane.
Can you recite it right now?
Unfortunately not, I have it in my hotel room. However, I plan on publishing
a book soon with all the poetry I've written over the years.
Whatever happened to your novel "Wherever There Are Two"?
I've lost the original manuscript. The novel is set during the time I worked
as a bartender. The title goes back to Jesus. When asked about the new church
and people wanted to know how it could be recognized he replied: "Wherever
there are two congregating in my name, there is a church" [transcriber's
note: I don't know the exact English wording of this passage in the Bible]
And what happened to your scientific thesis "The Schizophrenic Critique
of Pure Reason in Beckett's Early Novels"
My God, how that sounds. I've recently paged through it and hardly understood
what I'd academically written. Isn't it terrible when you find out how much
smarter you used to be?
When did you last see a play by Beckett?
15 years ago, it was called "End Game". I've always considered Beckett to
be very funny, as I have Kafka, by the way. I've heard that Kafka had to
interrupt his public readings because he couldn't keep from laughing. I would
have liked to have been there. I should read such things more often instead
of staring at the ceiling of my trailer during filming breaks. Or write scripts
for X Files episodes. I had the idea for "Colony"... But for that I need
tranquility and size. [note from alfornos: probably means "space" not size]
Speaking of which: How tall are you?
A little bit taller than a whale's penis.
Excuse me?
In "Moby Dick" Melville describes in great detail how a whale is being gutted
and in this context he mentions that the size of a whale's penis is 1.80
meters. I'm 1.83 meters tall.
What does success mean to you?
The ability to be happy. Professionally speaking the happiest moment was
when I saw the X Files movie for the first time. I'm very proud of it. It's
very good. I also liked my performance. The story is perfect. It should be
told in this way and no other. That was a very satisfying feeling –
which lasted about all of ten seconds.
You've been married to Téa Leoni since May 1997.
She's the best thing that's happened to me in my life. We dated for three
months, then I asked her to marry me and to my utter surprise she said yes.
She's the missing piece of puzzle in my life. [elli's comment: Awwwww!!!]
Is she also the reason why the whole production unit of the X Files will
soon move from Vancouver to Los Angeles?
She's one of the reasons. I'm just fed up with being separated from her.
The X Files will survive that as well. It's no longer simply a TV show, but
a phenomenon. Like the Beatles, who became bigger than their music.
Good cue: Wagging tongues insist Téa Leoni will be the next Yoko
Ono and therefore responsible for the demise of The X Files.
Everything will end someday. I don't believe that Yoko Ono was the reason
for the Beatles' break-up, she just hurried it along. Téa is a busy
actress, who starred in "Deep Impact", for example. She has better things
to do than to sabotage The X Files. Why should she? And I'm no John Lennon,
in case you hadn't noticed.
Before your marriage you had a reputation as a ladies' man...
... oh, really? True. I was in a couple of relationships – always for
a longer period of time, now that I think about it – and now I have
found the woman of my life. I'm very excited about being married. Some day
I will be a proud father. That's what life is all about, after all.
We haven't talked about your partner Gillian Anderson. It was rumored
that the two of you had had an affair.
Gillian and I have a brother/sister relationship. If you work with someone
daily for twelve hours, that person, if she is smart – and Gillian is
smart – shouldn't want to meet the other person after hours. That's
also true for the other way round.
Can you remember being naked in Gillian Anderson's trailer?
I'd mixed up the trailers. I thought it was mine, I went in and stripped
down. Gillian was more shocked than I was.
What will your life be like after The X Files?
I hope I haven't reached the end of the rope and you'll be able to see me
in many good movies.
What situation prompts you to lie?
If I don't want to hurt someone by telling the truth. Like Kant's categorical
imperative says "Choose between the personal good and the general good" if
you know what I mean.
That's not too difficult. But don't you feel out of place in Hollywood
considering your philosophic background?
Well, you risk mental pollution anywhere in the world – not only in
la-la- land. That's why mental hygiene is so important, so as not to be polluted.
It sounds like a big conspiracy like in X Files.
I know one thing for sure: There is definitely a worldwide conspiracy of
assholes.
Vita Meter
David William Duchovny was born on 7 August 1960 in Brooklyn. After his parents'
divorce he grew up together with his brother Danny and his sister Lori with
his mother, a teacher, on Manhattan's Lower East Side. As an A student ("I
was always afraid I'd end up on the street if I didn't get straight A's")
he was not only awarded a high school degree but also a scholarship to the
Ivy League university Princeton. After graduating with a literature degree
in 1982 he did postgraduate work at Yale. There, however, he dropped his
doctorate "Magic and Technology in Contemporary Poetry and Prose" and became
an actor. ("I was fed up with my monk-like student's life.) After various
TV appearances (Twin Peaks, among others) and movies like Beethoven, Chaplin
and Kalifornia (with Brad Pitt) he was cast as FBI agent Fox Mulder –
and the rest is history.
Loessl, Ulrich. October 1998. "Mr. X." German GQ
Magazine.
