Thursday 21 June 2001
Q&A
Last month we asked readers to find questions for former X-Files and
current Evolution star David Duchovny. Here's how he answered the
best of them.
Q. Are actors overpaid? One hears of astronomical amounts being paid
to actors that can probably pay off the debts of Third World
countries.
DD: Well, yeah. Of course. What are the most important jobs in the
world? The service industry, teaching, government where you're
leading. Those should be the highest-paid jobs, but they're not.
Acting is not a difficult job. It's not manual labour and yet is does
have a lot of exposure involved in it and there's a lot of
entertainment value obviously, so they get paid a lot and that's the
way it is. But if it was a perfect world teachers would get paid what
actors get paid. I think some actors are more overpaid than others.
Q. It has been widely reported over the years that you dislike being
typecast as Fox Mulder. If you had your time again, would you still
have auditioned for the role?
DD: Sure. It's not that I dislike being typecast as Mulder, it's just
that really, aside from Return to Me and Playing God, that's all I've
done for the past eight years.
But the greatest thing about having been on The X-Files is that, when
I first started, I'd done maybe 10 or 11 movies, but I was pretty
green. I was just finding my way, my own particular style as an
actor, whatever it is I'm capable of. So having to work eight years,
14 or 15 hours acting every day, was my school. It was where I taught
myself how I'm going to be as an actor. So aside from any kind of
public of financial gain, it was really an artistic gain for me, more
than anything else.
Q. Do you have any special requests on set?
DD: Usually a good vegetarian dish. And comfortable shoes.
Q. What is one of the most embarrassing or foolish things you've done
in your career?
DD: You know, the thing about acting that's great is that you don't
have to be embarrassed because you're playing a character and that's
one of the most attractive things to me about it. For instance, in
this movie I pull my pants down and moon somebody. In my life, if I
was caught doing that I'd be embarrassed. It's kind of silly,
infantile behavior, but I'm not embarrassed by it in the movie.
There have been levels to my happiness at how successful I've been at
the part I've tried to play and maybe I've been embarrassed that I
wasn't better, but there's never been embarrassment at what I've
actually done.
Q. What's the strangest thing you can do with your body?
DD: I can make my pupils dilate. I can make them bigger and smaller.
Q. What's your greatest fear? Mine's decapitation.
DD: (Laughs) I'm pretty afraid of decapitation myself. I don't know
many people who'd say "That wouldn't be so bad". Well, when I'm doing
as much travelling as I'm doing, I don't like flying so much. I get
scared up there sometimes. I get scared of being decapitated on an
airplane. "Are you doing to check your hear, sir, or will you be
carrying it on?"
Q. What was your least favourite episode of The X-Files.
DD: Oh, gosh, it's so mean to bring it up because we worked so hard
to make them all good, but the classic one we all made fun of was one
called Teso dos Bichos, which was about killer cats. It was just a
rotten show. But you know, somebody had to write it and the guy who
wrote it still writes for the show. He'll read this and go, "I know,
you all hate that one."
Q. If you were selected for a celebrity version of Survivor, which
other celebrities would you want involved and do you think you could
win?
DD: I got asked this question yesterday. Twice in Australia now. I'll
give you the same answer. I'd want (New Orleans chef) Emeril Lagasse
because he could make some good food for us, and Martha Stewart. I'd
want people who could make it a real home out there. I've thought
about whether I could win, but I don't know because I'm not a real
good survivalist.
I wouldn't be the guy who was indispensable, because he could make
fire and drink rain water out of his show, who would lead the others
to freedom. I feel like psychologically I might do fine, but I don't
have the survival skills.
My wife (actor Téa Leoni) would be excellent. She's really good at
camping. I'm a city boy. If you have Survivor in the city, like if
you popped eight people down in Manhattan, I think I'd do better at
that game.
Q. Did you feel any animosity from the cast or crew of The X-Files
towards you for leaving the show and have the fans respected you
decision to leave?
DD: I don't seek out what the fans think. It's my impression the fans
understand eight years is a long time and they're appreciative of the
show and my contribution to it. The crew totally understand what I'm
up to and who I am. It was just sad to have to leave them all. I
think that it's fortunate in terms of that the show is going to
continue another year. Not that the crew wouldn't find other work on
other shows, but at least I wasn't responsible for their unemployment.
Q. You have appeared in some very revealing scenes in your early
movies and also in a photo shoot wearing nothing but a teacup.
DD: (Interrupts) I like to call it a mug.
When your daughter gets old enough to see them and asks, "Daddy,
why?", what will be your reply?
DD: I'll say that teacup bought you that nice bicycle. I'd say that's
your dad's job, to expose himself in all ways. That's what an actor
does. It's exposure on all levels, but the funny thing to me is the
kind of questions you get. People don't say, "What's it like to play
a murderer, what's it like to play a rapist?' They say, "How could
you be naked?"
To me nudity is not the most awful thing in the world. My daughter
seeing my play Jack the Ripper, that would be hard for her to see. Or
seeing me kissing another woman, I think that would be difficult for
a kid. But maybe we'll show her the mooning scene because she knows
that butts are funny.
Evolution opens July 12.
