Gillian Anderson puts her glasses on and has pen and paper at hand in Netflix’s Sex Education, portraying the character of Dr. Jean F. Milburn, a s-x therapist in the comedy-drama. Apart from her usual patients, Jean spends a lot of time educating her son Otis and his high school friends about healthy relationship dynamics.
In the 90s, young Anderson could’ve certainly used a lot of help from her character Jean, as her relationship with The X-Files co-star David Duchovny was as tremulous as relationships between high-school teenagers. However, the pair was so talented and professional that the tension never reflected on the screen, much to even the actresses’ surprise.
How Was Gillian Anderson’s Chemistry With David Duchovny on and off the Camera
Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny played special FBI agents Dana Scully and Fox Mulder in The X-Files, wherein they probe into unresolved cases in their own different styles. Scully approaches them with a scientific temperament, while Mulder believes in the paranormal.
The show that premiered in 1993 was a huge success. Throughout the 90s, it earned plenty of plaudits for consistently delivering engrossing episodes. Along the way, Anderson and Duchovny picked up many awards for their performances. Interestingly, during the Golden Globe Awards of 1997, fans also got to see a hint of tension between the stars of the show, with Anderson snubbing her co-star’s name during her acceptance speech for Best Actress in a Television Drama Series.
Their behind-the-scenes feud started to grab as much attention as their creative brilliance, and there were times they wouldn’t even speak to each other and even supposedly fall out because of make-up issues. Regardless, the tension hardly ever impacted their chemistry on camera. Speaking about her chemistry with the Californication star, the Sex Education actress said (via IMDb):
“For whatever reason, there is this energy between us when we come together, which is very compelling and curious. Why do we have that? There’s attraction on screen with other actors I have worked with, but it’s not the same. What’s different between David and me? I don’t know.”
The original Fox series aired from 1993 to 2002, but the show and their stars received so much love from fans that they returned in 2008 with a movie and two additional seasons in 2016 and 2018. In these instances as well, fans only noticed their brilliant chemistry and there was no hint of any tension between Anderson and Duchovny.
Gillian Anderson Almost Got Dropped From X-Files
The X-Files hit the ground running, but Anderson came close to getting dropped from the show after she got pregnant at the start of the first season.
It’s understood (via IMDb) that some network executives wanted her role re-cast, but executive producer Chris Charter refused to entertain the idea. Since Dana wasn’t pregnant in the storyline, the decision-makers navigated the hurdle by having the character abducted by aliens.
Their workaround ensured Anderson remained part of the show and we were blessed with her on-screen partnership with Duchovny for many more seasons.
