The X-Files was an American drama series that ran from 1993 to 2018. Featuring Sex Education star Gillian Anderson in the lead role, Pamela Anderson was almost going to replace her due to her popularity back in those days.
Starring in the role of C.J. Parker in Baywatch, Anderson found herself in the spotlight by starring in the series. As per Gillian Anderson, the showrunners of The X-Files had not much faith in her and that’s why they were eyeing the Baywatch star for the role but they never approached her.
When Pamela Anderson Almost Replaced Sex Education Star
Back in 1993, Baywatch was getting traction and recognition from around the world for being an iconic American drama series. On the other hand, The X-Files was created with Gillian Anderson originally in the lead role.
In an interview, Gillian Anderson, who plays the role of Dr. Jean F. Milburn in Sex Education, talked about how little faith they had in her. Stating that the studio was looking for “someone bustier”, Anderson name-dropped Pamela Anderson but the studio did not approach her for the role and Gillian Anderson was kept in the lead role.
“They were looking for someone bustier, taller, leggier than me. Pamela was somebody who was more familiar to them in terms of what was on TV at the time.”
Furthering her interview, the actress talked about how little faith the show had in Anderson. Although she appeared for 217 episodes throughout the 11-season runtime of the show, the actress revealed how she was compared to her male co-star.
When Gillian Anderson Was Compared To Her Male Co-Star
Related: Pamela Anderson Lost $156M Steven Seagal Movie Role as She Refused to Accept His Creepy Demands
This incident gave a certain reality check to Gillian Anderson that she was quite replaceable in the show. Although they kept her in the lead role, the actress revealed that the studio behind The X-Files didn’t have any faith in her as they thought that she and David Duchovny (her male co-star) would ruin the show.
“They couldn’t fathom how David and me could equal success. At the beginning, nobody trusted that I could do anything. I had no body of work behind me at all, and, certainly Fox felt very strongly that I wasn’t the right person for the job.”
The series ran for 11 seasons and received a rating of 8.6/10 on IMDB and 74% on Rotten Tomatoes. The X-Files is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
