Duchovny Addresses Character Consistency Issues in ‘The X-Files’

Los Angeles, CA — David Duchovny, who played FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder in the iconic series ‘The X-Files‘, recently shared an anecdote about a continuity error he pointed out to creator Chris Carter during filming.

While discussing his experiences on the show, Duchovny recalled a memorable moment from the episode titled ‘Fire’, in which Mulder confronts his fear of fire while pursuing a serial arsonist. He noted, ‘I remember, like, in the middle of the episode, I had this thought,’ adding that he had approached Carter with a concern. ‘Didn’t Mulder and Scully [Gillian Anderson] watch a building burn down in the pilot? And I think Mulder was fairly cool with it. You know, it didn’t bother him.’

Duchovny expressed his frustration with directors who were new to the genre and lacked familiarity with the characters. ‘Sometimes the directors would come on, and they’d know they had a great script… they really wanted to kill it. They were dangerous,’ he explained. ‘So, often they would say, ‘We’ve never seen Mulder like this before,’ and I’d say, ‘Yeah, about 10 other times. Ten other times we’ve seen Mulder like this before.’

Co-star Emily Deschanel, known for her role in ‘Bones‘, echoed Duchovny’s sentiments by sharing her own challenges with character continuity during filming. In an episode where her character, Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan, is frightened of snakes, Deschanel pointed out that it conflicted with her character’s established bravery, which included handling snakes in previous seasons.

Deschanel said, ‘In my mind, I made it that [Bones] was scared of small snakes because the other ones are small snakes.’ She emphasized that these days, she would approach the showrunner to discuss such inconsistencies directly.

Duchovny concluded that it is important for actors to serve as the ‘curator’ of their characters, stating, ‘Sometimes you have to go, ‘I can’t actually do that.’

‘The X-Files’, which first premiered in 1993, developed a dedicated fanbase and paved the way for a broader television universe with spin-offs like ‘The Lone Gunmen‘ and ‘Millennium‘. The show returned for an eleventh season in 2018, but fans can look forward to future developments as new projects involving ‘The X-Files’ are reportedly in the works.