with Jay Leno
June 10, 1998
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Gillian Anderson with Jay Leno June 10, 1998 |
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JL: My first guest, an emmy-award winning actress. I'm a huge fan of this woman. She stars as Agent Scully in the popular series The X-Files. The X-Files movie opens June 19th. I saw the movie. I'm not going to give anything away. But you don't have to know the tv show to follow the movie. Wouldn't you say, Kev? People think you got to watch it. No, no it holds up well on its own. Please welcome, it opens june 19th, Gillian Anderson!
[cheers and applause]
GA: How many are going to come see the movie? Will you come see the movie?
JL: We have a major infraction here. Are you chewing gum?
GA: Oh, no. I'm not.
JL: Right here young lady. Right here.
GA: Can I have it afterwards?
JL: If it goes well.
GA: Can I put it right there?
JL: OK. Just a minute. Let me put this down here. Hang on, hang on, young lady. You put it right there. Sit it right down. There you go. There you go. Oh, it's not the one with the hole in it?
GA: No, it doesn't have a hole in it.
JL: It looks just like something from The X-Files. It's white with green dots.
[laughter]
GA: Yeah, I was walking out here, and I realized that I look a little too much like a spice girl myself.
JL: Anything wrong with that?
GA: No, no, no, I didn't mean there was anything wrong with it that. But I think I probably...
[laughter]
>> JL: You know, you're one of those people, I'm sure it's because of the show, like you get on the internet and there is all these like [eery sound] stories about you. Like there was one, you tell me is this like an urban legend.
GA: Can you make that noise again?
JL: [eery sound]
GA: We should use you for the sound track of the movie.
JL: You like that? I normally do that while making love. [eery sound] [laughter] Let me ask you...
GA: I really didn't need to know that.
[laughter]
JL: Probably the last chance you'll get a chance to hear it. Anyway, as I was saying, this urban legend, like you were down on your luck and all set to leave hollywood and the next day you got The X-Files." Was there any truth to?
GA: Yeah, Yeah, I know what are you talking about. I wasn't about to leave hollywood. I had been out of work for about a year. And I'd been auditioning and trying to get work and was actually considering waitressing again, you know, not leaving hollywood and waitressing but just waitressing and trying to get work. And then the call about The X-Files came up. I went through the whole week-long audition process. And the actual day that I found out that I have the job, my last unemployment check arrived. So...
JL: That's the way you do it. Have the check run out just you get the job.
[laughter]
GA: Yeah. You know, it's just kind of neat.
JL: Yeah, that's cool.
GA: Isn't it? So it's much more dramatic if I was going to leave hollywood and end my career as an actress but...
JL: Did you ever think the show would be as huge as it is? I'm sure you've been asked this a million times. But it's like a worldwide phenomenon. You go... you go... Seriously, south africa, england. I mean...
GA: I know.
JL: Here... There...
GA: It's bigger.
JL: It's bigger. Isn't it?
GA: It's bigger there.
JL: It's really huge. Yeah.
GA: It's bigger. It's amazing. You know what? We did the press junket over the past few days for the movie coming out and one of the reporters tell me this funny story. He said that he was at the screening. And he lost his wallet. And so, when he realized that, he went back in the screening room and found his wallet. It was missing some money. And he was missing his driver's license. So he called up the police station to report it. And he said he was talking to the police officer and the police officer was filling out a report. And he says -- the police officers says, "okay, sir, what screening were you at?" He said, "The X-Files screening." And he said, "Wait a second. Do mulder and scully kiss?"
[laughter]
GA: And he said, "hang on a sec, that's not really important right now, I need to find my driver's license." And he's like, "no, no, I'm not going to tell you anything else unless you tell me whether mulder and scully kiss or not." [laughter] that's going just a little too far.
JL: Cops are very showbizzy in this town. I got stopped one time on hollywood boulevard going by 45 in like a 12... you know, someone of those... [laughter] and I go, "oh." The guy goes, "hey, jay leno." He said, "do you accept jokes from, you know, outside your office?" I said, "yeah." I amused him. I go, "sure." He goes, "ha ha." And he gives me a ticket.
GA: Nooo!
[laughter]
JL: Yes, ha ha. I'm thinking, "send me -- I'll hire you right now. I'll hire you."
GA: That's horrible.
JL: Let me ask you this. The X-Files is always very scary, well interesting and scary. But it always makes you think. Do you get scared? Do you read these scripts and go...
GA: Oh, yeah. No. I do. I mean, I don't get scared from watching the show because I've been through it at that point. But when I receive the scripts to start preparing for it, I will not read at night time. I have to be at home, during the day, with the lights on, with the dog in, and my daughter in and everything. I can't. There's sometimes where I actually have to put it down and come back to it later because it's just getting a little too dark outside or something. I don't know.
JL: That's very funny. That's pretty funny. Now the show is finally moving from vancouver to Los Angeles.
GA: I know.
JL: Are you happy about that?
GA: I am happy about that. I think it's going to be really good. There's one little problem because of the canadian exchange rate, the scripts are only going to have 80% of the conspiracies.
[laughter and then cheers and applause]
GA: As you know, vancouver is beautiful. It's absolutely beautiful. Its got mountains. And it's safe. And it's inexpensive. And the people are about as nice as they could possibly be. But you get tired of that after a while.
JL: Stay away from that candy. I said, hands off the candy.
GA: It's mine!
JL: No, at the end of the segment you can have your candy.
GA: Ok, ok, ok. I just need to settle with something.
JL: Now, we have a clip of the movie.
GA: Yes, you do.
JL: Tell us what we'll see.
GA: I think it's me on a roof and it's hot out and I'm sweating.
JL: Uh, sounds good!
[cheers]
GA: [laughting] Cut it down.
JL: Sounds like the picturial.
GA: Yeah. And it's hot. Oh, I'm looking for a bomb.
JL: Looking for a bomb. Okay, here we go. Let's take a look.
GA: I'm looking for a bomb.
JL: The X-Files movie.
[clip from the movie]
[cheers and applause]
JL: Do they kiss?
GA: I guess you'll just have to buy a ticket, Jay.
JL: I know there is something with a breath mint. Go ahead, you can have it.
GA: I can have it now?
JL: Come on. Come on.
GA: Thank you very much.
[cheers and applause]
JL: Terrific job. Opens june 19th. Be right back with Hank Azaria, right after this. Gillian Anderson!
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