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"I just read it about an hour ago and I started crying reading the first page," the actor told EW.
He explained, "It was just so strange to see the names on the page. It had nothing to do with the script itself. It was just like, I'd been talking about this for a long time. We'd been planning it for a long time. It took a long time to get all the people in the same place and get the deal with Fox. So let's say two years we've been talking about doing it. Now it's the fun part. Now we actually get to do it. That was nice and strangely emotional for me, and I'll have to figure out how to use that [in the performance]."
Although story lines are being held very secret, Duchovny did say the first script is "fantastic."
Starting production in June, "The X-Files" revival has creator and writer Chris Carter back at the helm. Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reunite in the roles of FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, respectively.
Duchovny also confirmed what Fox co-head Dana Walden told reporters earlier this month about the mix of standalone and mythology episodes for the revival.
"Even though there's only six [episodes], there will be a mix," he said. "It's not really 'The X-Files' without the mythology."
The actor says the series doesn't end with the upcoming season. In fact, he would be down for another.
"I would be open to doing another cycle," Duchovny said. "I don't know that I could do a 20-episode version of this show at this point in my life, and I don't know that Gillian could. But I think everybody is open ended on what happens after this. Certainly, we didn't bring it back with the idea of ending it.""The X-Files returns to Fox with a two-night event starting Sunday, Jan. 24 at 10 p.m. following the NFC Championship Game and then continues on Monday, Jan. 25 at 10 p.m. After that, it will air on Mondays for the duration of the season.
Meanwhile, Duchovny can be seen on NBC's "Aquarius," which premieres Thursday at 9 p.m. on NBC. Also, in a first for a broadcast network, the entire season will be released in its entirety on On Demand, NBC.com and other participating sites.