From E! Online, June 11, 1998

"William Shatner's Heir Apparent, or America's Newest Leading Man?"
by Veronica Mixon

Sometimes it's hard to remember that there's more to David Duchovny than his alien-chasing, conspiracy-hunting, truth-seeking alter ego, Fox Mulder.

After all, in the past five years, Duchovny has made an indelible mark on pop culture as the dogged, dashing star of The X-Files. And now that The X-Files has made the leap to the big screen, it may be even more difficult to separate the actual Duchovny from that über-determined FBI agent.

But for those curious about the actor, the truth is out there. The 38-year-old Ivy League-educated star had roles before Mulder--and, he's happy to point out, he'll have roles after him.

There were those key parts in Twin Peaks, Kalifornia (opposite Brad Pitt), Chaplin (with Robert Downey Jr.), a lead in Playing God and, of course, his recurring gig as the narrator for Showtime's sultry Red Shoe Diaries. And then there was Duchovny's star turn as Garry Shandling's, er, overly familiar friend on HBO's inside-show-biz sitcom The Larry Sanders Show. (If you missed his hilarious Basic Instinct moment in the finale, definitely find someone who's got it on tape.)

So, what's Duchovny's favorite role? That's easy--lovestruck new husband to Téa Leoni. You don't have to be as sharp as Fox Mulder to figure that one out.

You said this movie was going to be a musical...
Well, I'm very disappointed. I saw a screening, and all the music was gone--at least all of my singing. The music is great in the film, though.

Are you tired of playing Mulder?
Well, it's not really the show or Mulder. It's the bare fact of doing the same show and the same part for five years. If you were in a running series of Hamlet for five years, it would be the same thing. I'd be tired of trying to get my mother to admit she slept with my uncle. Or shaking the Cigarette-Smoking Man, trying to get him to admit he slept with my mother.

What do you say to people who think you're the new-generation William Shatner?
Oh, you flatter me--just shamelessly buttering me up.

Do you feel you're stuck with The X-Files, because you're so identified with Mulder?
The show will go on, and we'll do other X-Files movies. But I did roles before this, and I'll do roles after this. If people don't want to see me in other roles, that's my misfortune, but I don't see that happening.

You seem to have done well on Larry Sanders. Not every guy could play himself as having a crush on Larry.
I always thought it was a great show. Then Garry and I came up with this idea that I'd have a crush on Larry but I wouldn't be gay. It was this weird kinda "I just like you" thing. I just liked the common sense of it.

But do people get the difference?
I don't know.

Do you care?
No, not really. I don't care, and it's funny when people say--

David, I didn't know you were gay!
Yeah, they say that, or if they think I'm straight, they'll say how brave or uninhibited I am. It's very odd that people will have that reaction to that role, but everyone is perfectly willing to accept people playing murderers. They don't say, "Gee that was brave of you to play a guy who kills people." But all of the sudden you step out there and you have a crush on a guy, and it's, "Oh, that's brave."

Will you make a movie during your hiatus?
No, I'm tired. One of the problems of trying to make a movie that's not The X-Files is they're not ready in the short hiatus I have.

This year, if something perfect had come along in my eight-week window, I might have considered it. But nothing did. If I could play Mulder five months out of the year, I'd be perfectly happy. That would leave me time to play other roles and not be William Shatner.

Could that happen? Could Chris Carter say I'll work around you and let Mulder be in a coma for three months?
No, America wouldn't stand for it. It's not like ER, where you have 10 doctors and 5 nurses. Where George Clooney can go off and then do a scene here and there and not be missed completely. It's a two-person show.

Do you think Mulder and Scully should get together?
At this point, no. It's changed over the years. I think Chris has made the right decision. I think it's a fun chastity. There's way too much history ever to be enveloped in one carnal meeting.

Mulder seems to really like Scully in the movie.
Well, she was dying. I had to go find her.

Is that a prerequisite?
Every time I like somebody, they get shot.

What does that say about Mulder?
Exactly! I should keep my feelings to myself.

Can Mulder ever be happy?
No. That's not for him. He's a questing hero.

Tell me one thing about Gillian.
That's such a hard question. She's a really hardworking actress. When you're tired and you want to move on, she stays in there. She always tries to do it as well as she can, despite fatigue or lack of attention. And that can be pretty inspiring--and pretty infuriating.

Let's talk about Téa. I hear you propose to her every day.
Not anymore. I got her. I haven't proposed to her in a while.

Téa says she thought you hated her after your first meeting on The Tonight Show--because she talked nonstop.
Well, I wasn't pleased with her. I didn't know her well enough to hate her. I'm surprised she brought up that story, because she always tells me not to talk about it.

So, how did you two get together?
She eventually went over to my agent, obviously unbeknownst to me and one time when I'd called in, Téa said, "I don't think he likes me." And then she said, "Does he golf?" I said, "I could learn"--which I just did. I just came back from vacation in Hawaii.

Téa golfs?
She's good. She drives hard. It's kinda hard to deal with. Every time she hits the ball, guys come over, and I get no attention. They just can't believe it. She likes to out-hit guys.

Marriages have broken up because of golf, you know.
I could see that. Right now, I have the excuse that maybe I'll get better--but maybe I won't. I was always a really good athlete, and so was she. And I can't accept not being good, even though I'm not sure that golf is a sport. It's so damn hard.

Where's the weirdest place people have approached you?
Probably when I was stepping out of the shower naked at the gym. I was reaching for my towel. It was basically, "Oh, it's you!"

The move from Vancouver to L.A.--did you demand that to exercise your power?
I don't have any need to show my power. I just have a need to do what works for me in my life. We went to shoot the pilot in Vancouver five years ago, and that's all I thought we were doing--shooting the pilot. I came to this with more experience than anyone else, and therefore, I had a lot to say before anyone signed up. I said, "I don't want to move from L.A." And they said, "Oh, we'll just shoot the pilot."

Every year, it became, "Oh, next year we'll come back to L.A." It became time for me to say, These things were promised to me, and now my life has changed. I have my wife in L.A. It's not my problem that the show will be harder to shoot in L.A. or look different, that's your problem. Let's just get it done.

They roasted you big time in the press for it.
It was a very hostile environment in Vancouver, as far as the press is concerned. The initial tone toward my move to Los Angeles was turned into "I hate you." People reacted to that, which was "I hate you, too." It's too bad, because I had a really good time in that city.

So, how will Mulder be different now that he's an L.A. guy?
He's going to be tanned and looking like George Hamilton.

Mixon, Veronica. June 11, 1998. "William Shatner's Heir Apparent, or America's Newest Leading Man?" E! Online.