XPOSED!
Finally, a light shines into the dark world of the paranoid pals
By BRAD OSWALD
From TV Week, November 15, 1997
As a bit-playing trio of TV characters, they're kind of mysterious,
And definitely strange; a little bit spooky and a bigger bit funny;
hard to figure out but an absolute hoot to watch. The producers
thought they'd drop in for one episode and then disappear; the fans
fell in love with them and demanded an encore, and eventually they
came to stay.
We could easily be describing the unforgettable threesome Larry,
Darryl and Darryl, who brought a wacked-out perspective to Newhart's
already skewed sensibility during that sitcom's long, loved run. But
we're not in Connecticut anymore, Dorothy. Think Vancouver. Then
think weird. No, weirder still. Waaaay weirder. Think conspiracy.
Think spies in every closet, bugs on every phone line and monsters
under every bed.
OK, now you've got it. You're in the nervously laughing realm of The
X-Files' Lone Gunmen, that decidedly mismatched trio of conspiracy
freaks that has become one of Agent Mulder's most trusted sources of
oddball information.
"Apparently, we provide the comedic element to the otherwise-sombre
X-Files, which came as a bit of a surprise to me," laughs Dean
Haglund, who plays Gunman Langly (the tall, long-haired, geekily
bespectacled one)opposite paranoid pals Frohike (Tom Braidwood --
the short, Scully-smitten one) and Byers (Bruce Harwood -- the
strait-laced, suit-wearing one). "Really, we're trying to play this
as straight as possible," insists Haglund, a Winnipeg-born
actor/comedian who has lived in Vancouver for almost 15 years. "But
I guess once you've got comedy in your blood, you can't really get
away from it. The three of us hadn't met until we started doing these
characters, but there's a lot of great chemistry between us."
The Lone Gunmen first appeared during The X-Files' rookie season, in
an episode titled "E.B.E." (Extraterrestrial Biological Entity, a
synonym for alien). Working from a nondescript office jammed with all
manner of techno-wizardry, they provided Mulder and Scully with a
couple of crucial clues (and more than a few totally out-there theories)
that aided in the solution of a case. The appearance was supposed to
be strictly a one-night stand, but the show's producers suddenly found
themselves dealing with a cyber-wave of support for the Gunmen.
"We sort of represented the whole Internet culture, and at that time
The X-Files had some of the most wired producers in the business --
they would follow fan feedback on the Net," recalls Haglund. "And
because we sort of represented that culture, the fans really appreciated
us. Based on that, [the producers] said, 'Hey, let's bring those guys
back.'" The callback for a second, and then a third and fourth, episode
came as something of a surprise to the actors.
"We did the part and I forgot all about it. Then my agent phoned and
said they wanted us back on the show, and the only reason she gave me
was that we were apparently popular on the Internet," says Harwood, a
B.C. native whose TV credits include The Outer Limits, MacGyver, Wiseguy
and 21 Jump Street. "At the time, I had no computer and had never even
been on the Net, so I just had no idea."
Through more than 15 appearances over The X-Files' first four seasons,
The Lone Gunmen -- publishers of a conspiracy-minded newsletter called
The Magic Bullet -- have been a constant (if somewhat sporadic) presence.
But in this campaign's third episode, titled "Unusual Suspects" (airing
November 16), fans of the Files and Gunmen-minded conspiracy nuts will
learn more -- much, much more -- about the enigmatic trio.
"It was pretty exciting making it," says Harwood. "It was the first time
we've ever had to carry an episode. It was interesting, and much more
satisfying than just doing the one or two days that we usually do. We got
to hang around the set every day for 12 or more hours, which for me,
anyway -- actually made it easier to do the part." Harwood, however, is
a bit hesitant to discuss details of the episode. "I don't want to spoil
it for anybody. I'm a fan of the show too, and I like not knowing so I
can enjoy it as much as possible when I watch it."
Haglund, for his part, is a little more forthcoming. He reveals that the
episode in question is set in 1989, will reveal the Gunmen's first names,
how they came together, and where and why they first crossed paths with
Mulder. (Richard Belzer makes a crossover appearance as his Homicide:
Life on the Street character, Det. John Munch). "We actually start off,
at the beginning of the episode, not only paranoid but also completely
disbelieving of the other paranoid people who come to us," Haglund offers.
"And then, slowly, we are turned into the paranoid freaks that you see in
present episodes."
And if you think it's tough getting these off-duty Gunmen to talk about
the role they play in the upcoming episode, well, don't even consider
asking about the top-top-secret X-Files movie, which required all members
of the cast and crew to sign confidentiality agreements. "Yes, we're in
it. I think I'm allowed to say that. But that's it," says Harwood.
Haglund says the popularity of the Langly character has given his
standup-comedy career a substantial boost. His touring schedule is busier
than ever, and the inclusion of an X-Files-oriented improv in his show
has become a crowd-pleaser.
On the other hand, Harwood -- arguably the least oddlooking of the three
Gunmen -- says he almost never gets recognized for his portrayal of Byers.
"When people find out who I play, they always say, 'Oh, so that's you. I
remember the other two guys, but I don't remember you at all,'" he says.
"I figure because I'm the guy in the suit, I just blend in. They're too
busy staring at the guy with the long blond hair and the short guy."
Harwood adds that the nature of their X-Files assignment means they don't
have all that much interaction with the show's stars -- they rarely cross
paths with Scully, so he's only met Gillian Anderson once, and even though
Mulder is the Gunmen's primary contact, David Duchovny isn't really much
more than a passing acquaintance. "A typical Lone Gunmen day will begin
late on a Friday night," he explains, "when everyone has been working all
week and is really tired, and they're just trying to work out a way to do
our scene as fast as possible. It's like, 'OK, set the camera up; we'll do
this in one shot. Was that good? OK, everybody go home.' So we're not
exactly hanging out on the set all that much."
Both Harwood and Haglund (and, presumably, Braidwood, who also works
Behind the camera as one of The X-Files' first assistant directors) have
Watched with amusement the recent travails of Duchovny after his
now-infamous appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, during which
he drew the wrath of Vancouverites by referring to the city as "a
tropical rainforest without the tropics."
"I just wonder how many of these people who got upset with what Mr.
Duchovny said are people who complain themselves when it rains too much,"
says Harwood. "I think this is just the kind of thing that happens when
stars talk -- people pay a little too much attention."
And as for Duchovny's in-the-press statements that he'll leave the show
unless production is moved to Los Angeles next season to allow him to be
closer to his wife, Haglund's perspective reveals not even a hint of
conspiracy theory.
"Hey, if I was married to Tea Leoni, I'd probably say the same thing."
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Brad Oswald is the television critic for The Winnipeg Free Press.
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