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‘The Truth Is Out There’ With These 14 Rare Photos of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson Behind the Scenes of ‘The X-Files’

See quirky moments from the sci-fi set, from Duchovny spending quality time with his dog to Anderson getting her hair done

By Abbey Bender September 7, 2025

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1. Woof!

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In this cute 1995 snapshot, David Duchovny holds up a picture of a dog with the caption “Big nose, warm heart,” as Gillian Anderson looks on and laughs. Even though Duchovny was self-conscious about his nose, he became one of the leading ’90s TV hunks and quipped, “I'm sure my nose wasn't an asset until I was David Duchovny.”
2. Time for a touch-up

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Anderson was known for her flame-red hair, and in this 1995 photo, she smiles while the show’s hairstylist, Robert Pandini, gives her a touch-up. Surprisingly, Anderson wasn’t a natural redhead, and as she recalled, "In the beginning, Dana Scully's hair was my natural colour, which is as dull as anything. It was 1993 and I was 24. After we shot the pilot and The X-Files was picked up for series, our executive producer Chris Carter said: ‘She's going red.’ And that's how Scully became a redhead. For the next nine years I dyed it on a semi-regular basis, but then the show ended in 2002 I defiantly became a blonde and have been one ever since.”
3. Lounging around

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Shooting a TV show is hard work, and in this 1995 photo, Duchovny and Anderson lounge on a hospital bed on set as they wait for their next take. Duchovny actually makes that bed look pretty comfy!
4. Contemplating the camera

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Anderson looks pensive as she perches on a camera dolly during the filming of The X-Files in 1995. The actress later dabbled in directing, and went behind the camera for the 2000 episode “All Things.”
5. Man’s best friend

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This 1995 shot of Duchovny hanging with his dog, Blue, is absolutely precious. The TV star was even recorded interviewing his furry friend (in his typically deadpan fashion, of course) on set!
6. Made to measure

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Anderson looks serious as an unseen crew member measures the distance between her and a dead body during the shooting of a 1995 episode.
7. The mind behind the madness

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In this 1995 shot, X-Files creator Chris Carter chats with Duchovny and Anderson. Clearly, the actors trusted him, as Anderson is sitting in his director’s chair. Carter fought for her to be cast in the show, saying, “I wanted to take her before the studio and the network . . . Even though Gillian’s beautiful, she wasn’t their idea of sexy. First, because they didn’t understand what I was trying to do with the show. And she was an unknown, so that never helps.”
8. Getting silly

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Duchovny seems pleased with himself as he holds Carter’s head during a break in filming a 1995 episode. The actor later spoke about how just relevant Carter’s vision for the series was, observing in 2024, “Mulder’s way of looking at the world was through conspiracy and that was the fringe at that point. It doesn’t seem to be so fringe any more. It’s really the world that Chris Carter foresaw happening almost 30 years ago. He’s almost clairvoyant in that case.”
9. Seeing double

Rob Brown / TM and Copyright © Fox Network. All rights reserved./ Courtesy Everett Collection

No, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you: There are two Scullys in this shot, as Anderson takes a picture of her stand-in as a serious scene is being set up.
10. An iconic episode

TM and Copyright ©20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. Courtesy: Everett Collection

The season 3 X-Files episode “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose,” which aired in 1995, is considered by many to be one of the show’s best. Veteran actor Peter Boyle played Bruckman, a tragically-fated insurance salesman with clairvoyant abilities, and won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Here, he chats with Duchovny during the making of the acclaimed episode.
11. Into the woods

TM & Copyright (c) 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. Courtesy: Everett Collection

The X-Files often featured creepy scenes in the woods, and here, Duchovny and members of the cast and crew gather amid the trees to film the 1996 season 4 episode “Terma.”
12. Director discussion

TM & Copyright (c) 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved. Courtesy: Everett Collection

Here, Anderson receives guidance from director Rob Bowman during the filming of the 1997 season 4 episode “Never Again.” Bowman was a key part of the show, as he directed 34 episodes and the 1998 movie.
13. Stylish on set

Larry Watson / © 20th Century Fox Film / Courtesy Everett Collection

Anderson looks stylish as she sits wearing a puffer jacket and sunglasses on set. In a fan-favorite piece of behind-the-scenes lore, Anderson stood 5-foot-3 while Duchovny stood 6 feet, which meant that she often had to stand on a box (referred to as a “Scully box” and a “Gilly board”) during filming so that she’d be closer to her costar's height.
14. Duchovny directs

Rick Morton / © 20th Century Fox Film / Courtesy Everett Collection

In 1999, Duchovny made his debut as a writer and director when he helmed the season 6 episode “The Unnatural.” The actor, pictured here at work on the episode, expressed anxiety about directing, saying, “I woke up one morning, and I just said, ‘I can't do it. I don't know what I'm doing. I quit.’ You're trying to have every shot . . . in your head at one time, so your head feels about the size of a beach ball as you're walking around [on the set]. I was walking around and bumping into walls. [But] then, when I got out there, it was great.”

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