We’ve heard that The X-Files is coming back with the original stars, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, and that it will begin filming a six episode season this summer. Creator Chris Carter is on board as showrunner, and there’s hope that the rebooted X-Files can bring back some of the supernatural yet sciencey magic that won legions of fans.

The NY Times has a new interview with star David Duchovny, now 54 and still looking incredible, about the history of the show and what he sees coming for its future. He’s somewhat candid, admitting that he was never into the paranormal and at one point claiming that Fox Mulder was the “worst F.B.I. agent of all time” because he never solved a case. Here are some quotes from Duchovny, with more at the source:

On X-Files being called a cult show
They call it a cult show but it wasn’t really a cult show. It was actually a big hit. People call it a cult show because of the subject matter.

On working on the show again
The good things are working with Chris and Gillian again, and getting to do this show again and see what we’ve got. I’m as curious as anybody else. I’m amazed that there’s still an appetite for it and I’m touched. I think the frame of the show is so expansive and so unique and so influential, that it should feel present.

On why he thinks the show “continues to resonate”
You look around at these cultural juggernauts, the ones that came after us… Like “The Twilight Zone,” it ushered in a paranormal theme, and a scary theme and a horror-movie feel that was lacking, for whatever reason, not only on television but in movies as well. Now movies and television are dominated by this genre.

On if he knew the show was groundbreaking when he first took the job
No. I was just trying to pay the rent. I’m really bad with that stuff – I’ve never been interested in paranormal stuff. I liked horror movies when I was a kid, but only when I was a kid. When “The X-Files” came around, it was a well-written pilot and kind of a cool character, this irreverent F.B.I. agent. But who’s gonna wanna watch a show about aliens? Honestly, I was the wrong guy to ask that question. I had no idea.

Was asked if he’s played a law enforcement character post-Mulder
I [don’t] think so. The interesting thing about Mulder is nominally he is law enforcement but he never solved one case in nine years. So he’s the worst F.B.I. agent of all time. As F.B.I. agents, I would say we were not by the book. Especially Mulder.

[From The NY Times via Pajiba]

I really enjoyed this interview, especially how skeptical Duchovny is of the paranormal. (Yet he was the believer and Scully was the skeptic on the show.) Duchovny is even realistic about his character being ineffective at his job. I can relate in that I don’t believe in much that can’t be proven and yet I loved this show. There was something so unique about Mulder and Scully’s relationship. Together they made the creepiest, most unbelievable scenarios seem real and ominous.

As for the future of the show, I hope they bring in current technology as they often did and make it central to the plot. I recently rewatched some of their tech-centric episodes and while they were dated they still sucked me in. Maybe that’s because I lived through that period in technology and it doesn’t seem like that long ago. Neither does the end of the X-Files.

photo credit: WENN.com