When The X-Files first premiered back in 1993, it thrilled sci-fi fans with spine-tingling stories that were filled with alleged aliens, mysterious monsters, and spooky situations. Viewers were also captivated by the show’s two leading stars, Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. While the pair played Dana Scully and Fox Mulder, FBI agents who eventually became romantic partners on the series, things were not exactly always so friendly between the actors in real life.

Anderson and Duchovny’s relationship seemed to start off well and when he earned a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Series in January 1997, he called Anderson “the best co-star anybody could have,” according to Uproxx. However, when “cameras move[d] to pick up a reaction shot from the actress … an eye-roll [was] detected.” On top of that, “Anderson did not, for her part, similarly mention Duchovny during her moment in the spotlight” when she won Best Actress “immediately prior,” which might have hinted at the fact that she was not feeling as fond of him as he was of her.

By August of that same year, Duchovny spoke to Cult Times (via Uproxx) and admitted that he did not “socialize with Gillian, just because we’re working together all the time.” While he claimed that they got along and that she was the only one who really knew what he was “going through,” he admitted, “Sometimes we all just show up and go, ‘I’d rather be anywhere else but here, and I’m going to make you suffer for it.” Yikes! And things did not really get better from there.

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson 'couldn't stand the sight of each other'

If you have ever watched The X-Files, then you likely understand why people adored Dana Scully and Fox Mulder’s dynamic. You also surely get why those same fans hoped that David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson were a real-life item or at least friends. However, not only did they fail to find romance together, but they also struggled to simply be friendly towards each other. Frankly, “off screen The X-Files stars were constantly arguing,” according to Us Weekly.

By the time the series had wrapped up its original run and returned for a movie in 2008, Duchovny revealed that their relationship had pretty much been non-existent. When asked by Metro when he had last seen Anderson before reuniting to film again, he admitted that “[i]t had been a number of years,” but also added that “when you spend that much time with someone it doesn’t feel like you’ve been apart. She’s like my sister.”

When it was noted that the actors “must have been sick of … each other” after they had “work[ed] so closely together for eight years,” Duchovny confirmed that notion, explaining, “Absolutely. Familiarity breeds contempt.” He explained, “It’s nothing to do with the other person. All that fades away and you’re just left with the appreciation and love for the people you’ve worked with for so long. We used to argue about nothing. We couldn’t stand the sight of each other.” Granted, according to Anderson, there was another reason why they did not get along.

Gillian Anderson said she and David Duchovny 'were both pains in the arse'

Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny may be able to thank their on-screen chemistry for being a part of what made The X-Files a success, however, they can’t thank each other for making the filming experience any easier. “[T]here were definitely periods when we hated each other,” Anderson told The Guardian in 2015. She then corrected herself, saying, “Hate is too strong a word. We didn”t talk for long periods of time. It was intense, and we were both pains in the arse for the other at various times.” When asked how Duchovny was an, er, pain in her arse, she indulged in a lengthy pause before saying, “I’m not even going to begin to get into that. But we are closer today than we ever have been.”

That certainly seemed to be true because, although “Anderson was the most notable no-show at Duchovny’s Walk of Fame event” in 2016, as The Guardian pointed out, “she did send a letter that was read aloud, a mock eulogy that ended with her jokingly saying, ‘He’ll always be my shining star. May his soul rest in peace.'” Oh, um, that’s … nice?

As for Duchovny, he revealed that same year that he still deals with questions about a potential real-life romance between himself and Anderson, something that apparently “visibly frustrates him.” He explained, “Gillian and I are not lovers, or boyfriend and girlfriend.” And it kinda seems like they never will be.

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