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August 30, 1999
Duchovny Talks
About
In his first interview since filing his "conspiracy" suit against 20th Century Fox over The X-Files, the show which made him famous, David Duchovny explains, "I'm not looking to win the lottery."
In the Sept. 3 issue of Entertainment Weekly, Duchovny goes on to say, "I've fulfilled my contract, and I want them to fulfill theirs."
A Fox representative calls the star's suit "saddening. We have nothing but respect and appreciation for David." The spokesperson surmises that the actor is "apparently being led by his own advisers into believing that Fox acted inappropriately in its exploitation of the show."
The actor's suit charges the show's producers with purposely reducing his profit share by underselling the series to its own subsidiaries, instead of getting fair market value with a competitor.
Duchovny also accuses series creator Chris Carter of conspiring to cover up the syndication deal, although Carter is not named in the suit. EW reports that Duchovny hasn't talked with Carter since filing but that the actor did give The X-Files executive producer advance notice that he was bringing suit.
The actor, who plays FBI agent Fox Mulder on the show, says, "I was dismayed and disappointed" over Carter's alleged involvement. Duchovny alleges that Carter kept mum about the show's financial arrangements in return for a deal for another Fox series.
Meanwhile, work continues on what is most likely the last season of The X-Files. Both Duchovny's and Carter's contracts bind them to the show for this season only, although co-star Gillian Anderson's contract is for an additional year. Although he's still reporting for work on the set, Duchovny admits he's "turned off about the whole affair."
Despite having made both pro and con statements in the past regarding another season of The X-Files, Duchovny now tells EW, "As much as I love the show, I think for me this will be the end. I always thought five years was enough. Seven years is definitely enough." However, he says his decision has nothing to do with his lawsuit. As for his relationship with Carter, Duchovny expresses the hope that "Chris will be my friend personally and professionally when this is all over."
And, to finally dispense with the myth that the actors who play Mulder and Scully are as close off-screen as on, Duchovny says he hasn't discussed his lawsuit with co-star Anderson. "The kind of illusion that everybody is best buddies and has no other cares in the world is an illusion," he tells EW. "We are separate individuals with separate agendas, and we're all taking care of ourselves."
That doesn't seem to bode well for further big-screen installments of The
X-Files.
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