From XF Official Magazine, Spring 1999
Typed by Harriet Marcus

Star Man
by Gina McIntyre

In this rare interview, David Duchovny reveals how he stays grounded
in the wake of a high-profile career and international celebrity.

Ten years ago, few people could have predicted David Duchovny would become a household name, and no one could have blamed them. The native New Yorker was on his way to a respectable career as an Ivy League professor of literature and poetry and seemed, for all intents and purposes, to be a dark horse in the running for most-likely-to -join-the-ranks--of-the-superstar elite. A brilliant student with a Masters Degree in English from Yale and additional graduate work at Princeton to his credit, Duchovny was late to discover his talent and passion for acting. When he did, Duchovny surprised everyone.

Only five years after making his 1987 television debut in an ad for Lowenbrau, Duchovny brought to life the character that would propel him to become one of the most sought-after names on the West Coast - a quirky, renegade FBI agent named Fox "Spooky" Mulder, the central figure of an ongoing government conspiracy in possibly the biggest television series of the decade.

Beneath his celebrity veneer and quintessential Hollywood shades, the actor still retains much of that dean's list student. His reputation tags him as L.A.'s most well-read leading man, and the various books lining his trailer - a Tom Wolfe novel and tomes on philosophy and yoga, - only lend credence to that claim. He is renowned for his sarcasm and dry sense of humor, which occasionally manifests itself as on-set antics that keep The X-Files crew in stitches between takes and adds a necessary element of levity to the serious nature of aliens and top-secret plots against humanity.

There is a softer, more personable side to Duchovny, though, one evidenced by his devotion to bride Téa Leoni, his anticipation of becoming a father for the first time and the constant presence of his remarkably well-trained dog, Blue, who seldom leaves his side. It's this aspect of the actor that is perhaps most charming and most hidden, but millions of fans have glimpsed Duchovny's sly grin. Some might even suggest that his unique persona, the intellectual boy with his dog, helped secure his undeniable stardom. Right now, Duchovny 38, is preoccupied with career and family, although his appearance would mark him the picture of calm. Lounging on a sofa inside his trailer, which also boasts of a deluxe massage chair, Duchovny readies to shoot several scenes for the season's tenth episode, "S.R.819." He changes out of civilian attire -- blue T-shirt and corduroys -- into FBI-issue navy blue suit and matching tie; as he does, he off-handedly suggests what direction he would like to see Mulder take in the near future. As fans and Fox executives are well aware, what he says has weight: Duchovny's desire to remain in Los Angeles was one of the key factor in the show's recent relocation from its long-time Vancouver home.

"I would like to see more stuff happen to [Mulder]... and one of those could be being involved with a girl on the show," he says speaking between takes at a Glendale, Calif. locale. "I get bored doing the same thing over and over again. That's one way, but there's many other ways, too. When you have a successful show, people sometimes are scared to take chances."

The actor would not be one of those people. Halfway through shooting Season Six of The X-Files, he has written his first script for the show, which he also plans to direct. Given that, he already spends an average of 14 hours a day on the set, the prospect could be a daunting one. However, Duchovny views adopting the new roles as a logical extension of his literary background as an opportunity to further challenge himself creatively.

"I just had an idea," he says, "I thought it would be good because if you complain about the writing as much as I do, you have to put up or shut up. Directing will be difficult challenge--that's eight days of prep, eight days of shooting, and a number of days of post-production. You've got almost a month of working on it."

While he's reluctant to reveal the exact story line, he is willing to offer some description of his first script. "It's quirky, but it's not a send-up," Duchovny explains. "It doesn't take itself quite as seriously, and its not as satirical. It's somewhere in the middle. Those [the more comedic episodes], are great, but you have to be careful not to use that too often or it can become diluted."

Even before completing the episode, Duchovny speaks optimistically about his future as a scribe. "If I had another idea, I'd write it", he offers, adding that perhaps he might extend his efforts to the big screen. "It's not something I want to do only for this show."

In the meantime, he is continuing to write on a more personal level. His poem, "Cliché Juice" was published in Movieline, and Duchovny is now working on a book of poetry. "It's for my own pleasure. If I felt good enough about it, I'd (do a book)," he says.

Just like his screen persona, the outspoken Duchovny doesn't play by the rules. He has appeared in unconventional roles, such as on Showtime's racy series Red Shoe Diaries, and as a transvestite on David Lynch's bizarre Twin Peaks. He has spoken openly of the positives and negatives that accompany his X-Files starring slot. He has professed an affection for pornography. Even his natural confidence has been misinterpreted, as his relationship with his co- star Gillian Anderson.

Duchovny set the record straight recently in a lengthy Q&A in Playboy. "We're close professionally. But we're not tight. I don't think we ever will be. I like her. I think she likes me. It's all fine."

Things certainly appear to be operating smoothly between the pair on the set. Preparing for a climatic scene in which Mulder and Scully are confronted by someone with important information about The Syndicate's mysterious project, the stars are clearly at ease with one another. Duchovny chats with nearby crew members, eager to discuss a relatively new hobby of his golf, as Kim Manners takes Anderson aside to discuss any questions the actress might have. When Manners calls, "Rolling," though, the actors consummate professionalism shines, their mastery of the characters that have brought them to such acclaim is much in evidence, as their strong rapport and mutual respect.

His relationship with the series' other actors is just as solid. Canadian native Chris Owens, who plays Mulder's FBI rival Jeffrey Spender, actually enjoyed his first American Thanksgiving at the Duchovny home and brightens with enthusiasm when discussing his co-star. "We have a tendency to let things fall and then when we're actually rehearsing before the camera, they'll be little suggestions here and there, " Owens explains. "David always has good ideas. " Sometimes he'll offer a script idea or a physical action, something like that. Working with David and Gillian and Mitch, it's a dream. They know their roles so well. They're so good. It forces me to come up to where they're working, tons to play with and play off of."

Actress Mimi Rogers, who portrays Mulder's old flame Agent Diana Fowley, first met Duchovny on the set of the critical darling The Rapture, an independent feature film about a woman's sexuality and the coming of Christ. In fact, it was the actor who recommended Rogers for her X-Files role.

"David and the producers called and asked me if I wanted to do it and I said yes, I'm a fan of the show, and David and I are very good friends. I had always said if something interesting comes up, call me. So they did." Rogers explained in an interview earlier this year.

Duchovny returns the compliment. "It's nice to work with people when you worked with them when you first started out," he says of Rogers.

Overall, This season is going well for Duchovny. The actor admits he was impressed with X-Files creator Chris Carter's Titanic meets the Wizard of Oz masterpiece. "Triangle." Filmed aboard the historic Queen Mary ocean liner, anchored off the coast of Long Beach, Calif. Season Six Third episode combined 1998 and 1939 seamlessly and even included a kiss between Mulder and Scully's World War II - era counterpart. "He directed without too many cuts, about 1/20th of what we normally do..... It was a really good idea," Duchovny says.

The actor has also been able to tap into his gift for comedy with a number of episodes that depart from the series' usual dark mood. "I know in the fourth episode ['Dreamland'], I'm dancing with Michael McKean, actually doing the moon walk" Duchovny says. "I'm not very good if I have to repeat the same thing over and over. I had to do this because it was chorographed for me to [mimic] a reflection in the mirror. That's harder to do that shaking my ass.

Rumors that Duchovny spontaneously broke into dance to disco favorite "Rock the Boat" by Hues Corporation on the set of the Valentines's Day-themed episode "The Rain King," though, might have been exaggerated, the actor suggests. "Dancing is less me. But the days get boring, and sometimes you just have to bust a move," he says with a slightly sardonic look.

Imagining the actor breaking out in bouts of physical comedy is understandable. During a slow time on the set, Duchovny offers up to hysterically dead-on impersonations of two actors, even down to the strutting walk of Hollywood pretty boy Jason Priestly.

The hectic shooting schedule can take its toll in more ways than just turning the actors punch drunk. Duchovny has only worked on two features since his series tenure began in 1993 - Playing God an action/drama about a former doctor's reluctant partnership with a mobster, and of course, last summer's The X-Files feature film. Now that the series is based in Southern California, the actor is hopeful that more silver screen opportunities will present themselves. "My main complaint about the show is the time constraint. You have eight weeks, can do a cameo here and there. It's almost impossible to do a whole movie," Duchovny says. "You have to see if it can work out, get an actress who wants to do it at that time. "they all have to accommodate me."

The project topping the list as of now is a romantic comedy with Bonnie Hunt, Duchovny's co-star in the 1992 children's film Beethoven. "It's a boy meets girl. Boy loses girl, boy meets another girl type [movie]," he explains. "Bonnie is a really unique person, talented as a director and a writer, I hope The X-Files schedule works out."

As lunch time draws near, Duchovny returns to his trailer for a small portion of salmon and couscous, stuffed unceremoniously into a plastic deli dish. The actor admits that salmon is not his favorite, but with a long day ahead of him, lunch is indispensable. Chatting about other meals, Duchovny refers to a recent report making the rounds that a wealthy Saudi offered him one million dollars to come to dinner. Laughing, he says, "I'm flattered. I'd do it for free."

Over lunch, conversation meanders from the trivial - Duchovny's favorite Charlie's Angel is Sabrina and of the Gilligan's Island ladies, Ginger tops the list - to the political. An avowed Democrat, Duchovny says he is pleased with the recent election results that considerably weakened Republican's efforts to oust President Clinton, adding as an aside that he is happy to have personally met the new governor of Minnesota, former professional wrestler Jesse "The Body" Ventura. "I've worked with the 'Body' on the 'Jose Chung' episode. He's the only one of the X-Files actors to make it as an elected official."

As of late, family matters are foremost on Duchovny's mind, now that he and wife Leoni are expecting their first child this spring. The pair, married two years, has not reached any agreement on names for the baby. "We're very far apart on those [names]," he says.

Nor does the couple agree on whether to determine the child's gender before birth: Duchovny wants to know, Leoni would rather wait, "We've agreed to call the baby 'he', no matter what she might find out," he says.

Duchovny's role as father will be, no doubt, his most challenging to date. The prospect he admits, has stirred up memories of his own childhood in New York, the second of three children born to Meg and Amram Duchovny. "My dad used to record himself reading for all the days he'd be gone, five chapters for five days, and usually sports books because that's what I liked," he says.

Steering the conversation away from such personal topics, Duchovny turns instead to a sign tall stack of publicity shots that will be auctioned off later that night to a charity benefit. The actor and his wife are two of the key fundraisers for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a non-profit organization that grants wishes to children ages 2 to 18 living with terminal illness.

Before long, he returns to the set, ready to battle more aliens. For some reason, countless bees swarm around the film crew, calling to mind the huge glowing domes from The X-Files feature. The insects are not, however, in the scene, and Duchovny seems unruffled by their presence. He focuses instead on some new wrinkle in Fox Mulder's ongoing quest to reveal the machinations of a secretive inner - government cabal, as he will continue to do throughout this season and beyond. The task is a formidable one but as we all know by now, the truth is out there - reported by Debra Warlick.

McIntyre, Gina. Spring 1999. "Star Man." XF Official Magazine.