The X-Files’: Alien Abductions and 13 Other Surprising Facts You Never Knew.
Over the years, its following grew until it eventually became a cult favorite. Its passionate fanbase allowed the show to explore different topics, conspiracy theories, and other issues that involved the United States government and extraterrestrials. Lasting for nine seasons, The X-Files aired its finale on May 19, 2002, only to go back on air 13 years later in January 2016 for a Season 10. Advertisement Scully and Mulder’s teamwork on the show is extraordinary. The fact that one was a believer (Mulder) and the other a skeptic (Scully) made their tandem more interesting. There were a lot of times in the show when Scully would question Mulder about his beliefs, but this made every episode, every case even more exciting. Such is the fans’ adoration for their favorite extraterrestrial investigators. But do you know that there are many other facts about Scully and Mulder and about The X-Files in general that a lot of viewers are not aware of? Here are some surprising facts about The X-Files that you may have heard of but do not really know about.
1. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY CALLED THE SHOW “A GONER” Yes, they did. In reply to the show’s slogan “The Truth Is Out There,” the magazine exclaimed, “We know – this show’s a goner.” Well, they were proven wrong. Terribly wrong.
2. IN REAL LIFE, DUCHOVNY IS THE SKEPTIC
As previously mentioned, Anderson’s character Scully was a skeptic, while Duchovny’s Mulder is a believer. In real life, however, it is the actor who is the skeptic.
When interviewed on The Late Late Show With James Corden, Duchovny said that his fan mail had letters from people who told stories about alien abduction and this made him sad. “I thought that these people had issues that they had to deal with.”
In Mulder’s office, there is a poster that says “I Want to Believe.” The original version of the poster was supposedly bought in 1992. Over the years – or seasons – Mulder would replace the posters with different ones, but always with the same text.
Chris Carter, the creator of The X-Files, said that he made the characters that way because he did not want to focus on gender stereotypes. His idea was to create a male lead who was a dreamer.
3. THE MAIN INSPIRATION FOR THE X-FILES WAS A REPORT THAT CLAIMED THERE ARE OVER THREE MILLION CASES OF ALIEN ABDUCTIONS Carter said that after reading a report revealing stories of people who were abducted by aliens, he thought of making the show. According to the report, the number of people who claimed to have been kidnapped by aliens totaled to more or less 3.7 million.
4. A TV SHOW THAT AIRED IN THE ’70S WAS ONE OF THE MAJOR INSPIRATIONS OF THE SHOW. It was Kolchak: The Night Stalker, a show about a reporter in Chicago who was tasked to investigate different stories. In the course of his investigations, Kolchak would uncover facts that involved the supernatural. Starring Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak, the series ran for more or less six months. Based on an unpublished book entitled The Kolchak Papers, the show is said to be one of the earliest basis and inspiration for horror TV. It is also said that Duchovny’s character in The X-Files may have been based on Kolchak, especially since there are slight similarities between the two.
5. DURING FILMING, ANDERSON HAD TO STAND ON A WOODEN BOX MOST OF THE TIME Since Duchovny was way taller than her, the production staff had to do something to remedy the situation. Their solution? They made Anderson stand on a wooden box for apples whenever they filmed Scully and Duchovny scenes. Anderson talked about this when she was once interviewed by Us Weekly. The actress said, “I have to step up onto something so that we’re on the same level.” She added that it was a standard practice especially when she and Duchovny were “walking side by side”.
6. PRACTICALLY EVERY ACTOR AUDITIONED FOR MULDER, WHILE FOX WANTED SOMEONE SEXIER THAN ANDERSON Gillian Anderson (Photo source: Facebook) Adam Baldwin, Lou Diamond Phillips and Dean Cain are just some of the actors who auditioned for the role of Agent Fox Mulder. Almost every active actor went through The X-Files audition process. In the end, Fox chose Duchovny. It was a different story for Anderson, however. Originally, Fox wanted someone sexier, someone more bombshell-looking than Anderson. They were hoping to find an actress who was “blonder, taller, breastier and leggier.”
7. CLARICE STARLING OF “THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS” WAS THE BASIS OF ANDERSON’S CHARACTER Dana Scully, Anderson’s character, was patterned after Clarice Starling, the FBI pre-grad who helps investigate and catch serial killer Buffalo Bill and asks for help from psychopath Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the above-mentioned film. Jodie Foster’s award-winning performance became an inspiration for Anderson. Incidentally, Foster did a guest appearance on The X-Files. Well, her voice, that is. In the “Never Again” episode in Season 4, the actress did the voice for the talking tattoo.
8. THE DANA SCULLY CHARACTER WAS NAMED AFTER A LEGENDARY BROADCASTER Scully was named after Vin Scully, L.A. Dodgers broadcaster and considered as one of the all-time best broadcasters of baseball. He is known as the “Voice of the Dodgers.” As for Scully, since she was not a believer like Mulder, she might as well have been labeled “the voice of the skeptics.”
9. THE SHOW’S OPENING THEME WAS CREATED ACCIDENTALLY Composer Mark Snow said that he created The X-Files opening theme by accident. He was on the keyboard when his elbow hit the echo button and it turned on. He liked what he heard and thought it would be perfect for the show. So, the echo sound eventually turned into the well-loved opening theme. Additionally, the whistling part of the opening theme was inspired by a song. In the album “Meat Is Murder,” The Smiths has a song called “How Soon Is Now.” That was the basis for the whistle tune of the show’s theme.
10. THE MOST USED CELLPHONE NUMBER. Agent Fox Mulder owned one of the most used cell phone numbers in the entertainment industry. The number 555-0199 was also used in the movie American Beauty (by the Burnhas) and in The Insider (by Al Pacino).
11. THE CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN STARTED AS AN EXTRA. Actor William B. Davis, who played the role of the Cigarette Smoking Man, was originally an extra on The X-Files. He was to have only one scene where he would be standing against a shelf while smoking. At that time, there were no plans of making him the show’s antagonist. Despite playing the role of a chain smoker, Davis had not had any cigarettes for 20 years before he went on the show. Later on, he started smoking herbal cigarettes.
12. IN CASE FANS FORGOT, THE PILOT EPISODE INTRODUCED SCULLY’S BOYFRIEND Because they wanted to put some romance in the life of Scully, Fox cast an actor to play the role of Ethan Minette. He came out in the pilot episode and was introduced as Scully’s boyfriend. The character was eventually scrapped because it was overshadowed by the more interesting and more exciting Scully-Mulder relationship (which remained platonic for quite a long time).
13. “HOME,” A GRAPHICALLY DISTURBING EPISODE, DREW INSPIRATION FROM THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF CHARLIE CHAPLIN Because it had graphic content not suited for younger audiences, one of The X-Files episodes entitled “Home” was issued a viewer discretion warning.
Interestingly, the episode is also said to have been inspired by an entry in Charlie Chaplin’s autobiography. His story of the quadruple amputee he met in a tenement home was a major factor in the story development for home. In the said autobiography, Chaplin said the amputee’s family pulled him “from under a bed.”
Let us hope these interesting and surprising tidbits about The X-Files helped build up excitement and curiosity. While there is no final update yet on the possibility of a Season 11, why not relive the earliest days of Scully and Mulder and do a marathon of the show?
Do not forget to include all the six episodes of Season 10 which came out last January. The X-Files Season 10 ended with a cliffhanger. Although things are pretty much hanging in the air, Carter has high hopes that the series will have at least another season.
At the moment, he is busy throwing ideas, hoping to come up with something new that they can develop for Season 11. Whether The X-Files Season 11 is happening or not, the show has already endeared itself to viewers and fans. Nothing can change that fact anymore. What remains to be seen is how people will react if they find out that there will be no more extraterrestrial intrigue with Dana Scully and Fox Mulder.
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| I do believe |
Over the years, its following grew until it eventually became a cult favorite. Its passionate fanbase allowed the show to explore different topics, conspiracy theories, and other issues that involved the United States government and extraterrestrials. Lasting for nine seasons, The X-Files aired its finale on May 19, 2002, only to go back on air 13 years later in January 2016 for a Season 10. Advertisement Scully and Mulder’s teamwork on the show is extraordinary. The fact that one was a believer (Mulder) and the other a skeptic (Scully) made their tandem more interesting. There were a lot of times in the show when Scully would question Mulder about his beliefs, but this made every episode, every case even more exciting. Such is the fans’ adoration for their favorite extraterrestrial investigators. But do you know that there are many other facts about Scully and Mulder and about The X-Files in general that a lot of viewers are not aware of? Here are some surprising facts about The X-Files that you may have heard of but do not really know about.
1. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY CALLED THE SHOW “A GONER” Yes, they did. In reply to the show’s slogan “The Truth Is Out There,” the magazine exclaimed, “We know – this show’s a goner.” Well, they were proven wrong. Terribly wrong.
 |
| Mulder and Scully |
3. THE MAIN INSPIRATION FOR THE X-FILES WAS A REPORT THAT CLAIMED THERE ARE OVER THREE MILLION CASES OF ALIEN ABDUCTIONS Carter said that after reading a report revealing stories of people who were abducted by aliens, he thought of making the show. According to the report, the number of people who claimed to have been kidnapped by aliens totaled to more or less 3.7 million.
 |
| Scully |
4. A TV SHOW THAT AIRED IN THE ’70S WAS ONE OF THE MAJOR INSPIRATIONS OF THE SHOW. It was Kolchak: The Night Stalker, a show about a reporter in Chicago who was tasked to investigate different stories. In the course of his investigations, Kolchak would uncover facts that involved the supernatural. Starring Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak, the series ran for more or less six months. Based on an unpublished book entitled The Kolchak Papers, the show is said to be one of the earliest basis and inspiration for horror TV. It is also said that Duchovny’s character in The X-Files may have been based on Kolchak, especially since there are slight similarities between the two.
5. DURING FILMING, ANDERSON HAD TO STAND ON A WOODEN BOX MOST OF THE TIME Since Duchovny was way taller than her, the production staff had to do something to remedy the situation. Their solution? They made Anderson stand on a wooden box for apples whenever they filmed Scully and Duchovny scenes. Anderson talked about this when she was once interviewed by Us Weekly. The actress said, “I have to step up onto something so that we’re on the same level.” She added that it was a standard practice especially when she and Duchovny were “walking side by side”.
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| Alien abduction |
6. PRACTICALLY EVERY ACTOR AUDITIONED FOR MULDER, WHILE FOX WANTED SOMEONE SEXIER THAN ANDERSON Gillian Anderson (Photo source: Facebook) Adam Baldwin, Lou Diamond Phillips and Dean Cain are just some of the actors who auditioned for the role of Agent Fox Mulder. Almost every active actor went through The X-Files audition process. In the end, Fox chose Duchovny. It was a different story for Anderson, however. Originally, Fox wanted someone sexier, someone more bombshell-looking than Anderson. They were hoping to find an actress who was “blonder, taller, breastier and leggier.”
7. CLARICE STARLING OF “THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS” WAS THE BASIS OF ANDERSON’S CHARACTER Dana Scully, Anderson’s character, was patterned after Clarice Starling, the FBI pre-grad who helps investigate and catch serial killer Buffalo Bill and asks for help from psychopath Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the above-mentioned film. Jodie Foster’s award-winning performance became an inspiration for Anderson. Incidentally, Foster did a guest appearance on The X-Files. Well, her voice, that is. In the “Never Again” episode in Season 4, the actress did the voice for the talking tattoo.
8. THE DANA SCULLY CHARACTER WAS NAMED AFTER A LEGENDARY BROADCASTER Scully was named after Vin Scully, L.A. Dodgers broadcaster and considered as one of the all-time best broadcasters of baseball. He is known as the “Voice of the Dodgers.” As for Scully, since she was not a believer like Mulder, she might as well have been labeled “the voice of the skeptics.”
9. THE SHOW’S OPENING THEME WAS CREATED ACCIDENTALLY Composer Mark Snow said that he created The X-Files opening theme by accident. He was on the keyboard when his elbow hit the echo button and it turned on. He liked what he heard and thought it would be perfect for the show. So, the echo sound eventually turned into the well-loved opening theme. Additionally, the whistling part of the opening theme was inspired by a song. In the album “Meat Is Murder,” The Smiths has a song called “How Soon Is Now.” That was the basis for the whistle tune of the show’s theme.
10. THE MOST USED CELLPHONE NUMBER. Agent Fox Mulder owned one of the most used cell phone numbers in the entertainment industry. The number 555-0199 was also used in the movie American Beauty (by the Burnhas) and in The Insider (by Al Pacino).
11. THE CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN STARTED AS AN EXTRA. Actor William B. Davis, who played the role of the Cigarette Smoking Man, was originally an extra on The X-Files. He was to have only one scene where he would be standing against a shelf while smoking. At that time, there were no plans of making him the show’s antagonist. Despite playing the role of a chain smoker, Davis had not had any cigarettes for 20 years before he went on the show. Later on, he started smoking herbal cigarettes.
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| Cigarette man |
12. IN CASE FANS FORGOT, THE PILOT EPISODE INTRODUCED SCULLY’S BOYFRIEND Because they wanted to put some romance in the life of Scully, Fox cast an actor to play the role of Ethan Minette. He came out in the pilot episode and was introduced as Scully’s boyfriend. The character was eventually scrapped because it was overshadowed by the more interesting and more exciting Scully-Mulder relationship (which remained platonic for quite a long time).
13. “HOME,” A GRAPHICALLY DISTURBING EPISODE, DREW INSPIRATION FROM THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF CHARLIE CHAPLIN Because it had graphic content not suited for younger audiences, one of The X-Files episodes entitled “Home” was issued a viewer discretion warning.
Interestingly, the episode is also said to have been inspired by an entry in Charlie Chaplin’s autobiography. His story of the quadruple amputee he met in a tenement home was a major factor in the story development for home. In the said autobiography, Chaplin said the amputee’s family pulled him “from under a bed.”
Let us hope these interesting and surprising tidbits about The X-Files helped build up excitement and curiosity. While there is no final update yet on the possibility of a Season 11, why not relive the earliest days of Scully and Mulder and do a marathon of the show?
Do not forget to include all the six episodes of Season 10 which came out last January. The X-Files Season 10 ended with a cliffhanger. Although things are pretty much hanging in the air, Carter has high hopes that the series will have at least another season.
At the moment, he is busy throwing ideas, hoping to come up with something new that they can develop for Season 11. Whether The X-Files Season 11 is happening or not, the show has already endeared itself to viewers and fans. Nothing can change that fact anymore. What remains to be seen is how people will react if they find out that there will be no more extraterrestrial intrigue with Dana Scully and Fox Mulder.
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