'X-files' star Gillian Anderson says she 'rebelled' against being told to walk behind David Duchovny during filming

• "The X-Files" star Gillian Anderson told Variety that she had to rebel while filming the original show.
• She pointed to sexist behaviors on set such as being asked to walk behind her male costar David Duchovny.

Gillian Anderson told Variety that she had a "knee-jerk reaction" when she was asked to walk behind her male costar David Duchovny while filming "The X-Files."

The science-fiction mystery series, which began in 1993 and ran for eleven seasons, followed two FBI special agents Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson), who solved paranormal cases.

During an interview with Variety after being nominated for a Variety Icon Award, Anderson said she tried to push back against sexist behaviors on set when she worked on the show.

"I was expected to walk behind [costar Duchovny] when [our characters] walked up to the front doors of the people we were investigating," she said. "There were things that I rebelled against."

Anderson did not tell Variety who specifically enforced or requested this or whether she succeeded in making changes on set. However, this is not the first time Anderson has criticized the show.

In an interview with Red magazine in 2014, she said the pay gap between herself and Duchovny was "massive."

When the series returned in 2016 for its final two seasons, after originally finishing on season nine, Anderson was reportedly offered half of what Duchovny was given, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Last year, Anderson said in a roundtable THR interview that she had put her foot down for the new seasons after she had previously spoken out about the pay. THR later reported that a source said they received equal pay for the two seasons.

"We were going back to do another season and Fox came to me to offer, I don't know, a 10th of what my costar was being offered," the 53-year-old actress said. "That was the point where I was like, 'Fuck this. I'm actually going to talk about this [publicly].'"

Anderson added that she had an advantage in that she could not be fired because fans would get upset with the show.

The series won 16 primetime Emmys over the years and has become a cult classic especially due to Anderson's character who had inspired women to become scientists.

Anderson, who told THR last year that she had "mini breakdowns" while filming "The X-Files," told Variety that she isn't entirely keen on returning to the series for a reboot or new season.

"It just feels like such an old idea," the "Sex Education" star said. "I've done it, I did it for so many years, and it also ended on such an unfortunate note."

"In order to even begin to have that conversation, there would need to be a whole new set of writers and the baton would need to be handed on for it to feel like it was new and progressive," Anderson added. "So yeah, it's very much in the past."

In 2017, The Washington Post reported that only men had been hired for "The X-Files" writing room for the newer seasons.

In response to this Anderson tweeted: "And 2 out of 207 eps directed by women. I too look forward to the day when the numbers are different. #TheFutureisFemale."

—Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) June 29, 2017