Gillian Anderson tells Conan that playing Scully on X-Files at just 24 — after lying to producers that she was 27 — meant shooting 16-17 hour days in Vancouver, which she credits with keeping her saner than LA fame would have. She also reveals that X-Files creator Chris Carter designed the show's dialogue so each character's lines formed a perfect rectangle on the page, with no 'widows,' a typographic OCD quirk Anderson only learned about during the second feature film.
Key Moments
Gillian Anderson
“I was doing a little crystal math at the time and I was in a really good mood and I managed to talk them out of breaking and entering and just into trespassing.”
Anderson describing her teenage arrest for trying to glue her high school's locks shut, and how she negotiated down the charges.
“Chris Carter came up to me who was directing the feature and he said he looked at my sides where my lines were and he said, "Look, no widows."”
Anderson recounting the moment she discovered that X-Files showrunner Chris Carter designed all dialogue to form perfect rectangles on the page with no line breaks.
“There were a couple of interviews that she did where she doesn't know that the camera is rolling... she was bending down to her purse to take a sweet out and put it in her mouth. I mean, these are like gold.”
Anderson describing the most valuable research material she found while preparing to play Margaret Thatcher — unguarded footage where Thatcher didn't know she was being filmed.
“I have a resting intelligent face even if I'm the least smart person in the room.”
Anderson explaining what she was told she brought 'for free' to the role of Margaret Thatcher, meaning she didn't have to work to project intelligence.
Gillian Anderson is an Emmy Award-winning actress best known for playing Agent Dana Scully on The X-Files, a role she held for nine years. She has since earned acclaim for playing Margaret Thatcher in The Crown and starred in the stage production of A Streetcar Named Desire. Her new film is Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Myasma.
Takeaways
1
Unguarded footage is the richest research material When preparing to play Margaret Thatcher, Anderson found the most useful footage was moments where Thatcher didn't know the camera was rolling — practicing speeches, reaching into her purse for a sweet. Public 'on camera' performances, even seemingly candid ones, are still performances. The real person leaks out only when they think no one is watching.
2
Know what you get 'for free' before over-preparing A director told Anderson she already got 'quite a lot for free' when cast as Thatcher — gravitas, the appearance of intelligence — so she didn't need to perform those qualities. Identifying what you already bring to a role or project prevents wasted effort and over-engineering. Focus preparation on the gaps, not the strengths.
3
X-Files dialogue was engineered as visual typography Creator Chris Carter wrote all character dialogue so lines formed perfect rectangles on the page — no 'widows,' meaning no word dangling alone on a final line. Anderson only discovered this during the second feature film, years into the show. It reframes the show's famously dense, rhythmically odd dialogue as a designed artifact, not just a writing style.
4
Geographic isolation can protect rising stars Anderson credits Vancouver — not LA — with keeping the X-Files cast grounded during peak fame. Shooting there for five years meant paparazzi culture 'just didn't exist,' letting the work stay central. Deliberately structuring your environment to remove a specific pressure is more reliable than willpower against it.
5
Cultural outsider status can become creative fuel Anderson grew up in London with American parents, was mocked as a 'Yank,' then moved to Grand Rapids at 11 with a British accent she had to erase. Conan's framing — that not fitting in is fuel for creative people — is supported by her trajectory from punk-phase arrest to Emmy-winning actress. Discomfort with identity is often what drives range.