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Smokescreen From: Melbourne Hearld Sun Newpaper's TV extra magazine 19/3/00

As 'The X-Files' mysterious Cigarette Smoking Man, William B. Davis is the man fans love to hate. But, As Danielle Hood Discovered, the only wicked part of this accomplished actor is his sense of humour.
When confronted with the task of interviewing the actor who plays the most evil character in film and television since Darth Vader, it is tempting to begin the coversation with "boo-hiss"!

But the man who has menacingly thwarted Fox Mulder's relentless search for the truth in "The X-Files' is quick to point out such interviewing insolence will not be tolerated.

"Oh yes. I'm quite dangerous," William B. Davis says with the unmistakable drawl of the Cigarette Smoking Man (CSM). "Yes, terrible things could happen to you if you are not careful."
But unlike the chainsmoking character he plays in the cult TEN series (Wednesday 8.30pm), the only wicked thing about Davis is his sense of humour. His constant laughter and down-to-earth nature are quite disarming for a fan who wants to give him an earful about his treatment of Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson).

In fact, he even makes CSM (Or the Cancer Man, as Mulder christened him early in the series) seem downright heroic.
"As and actor playing any part, I have to get behind what the character does and believe in what the character does," the 62-year-old says. "I see the character from the character's point of view, not from the viewers' point of view. And, looked at the way, of course, he may now be doing things he should not do or, if he asked moral questions any more, he would not do. But I don't think he asks too many moral questions anymore.
"I do, however, think he as probably quite idealistic when he started. He set out to face an impossible situation and make the best of it. He certainly has not pursued his goals for personal gain - he is not like Saddam Hussein, who is the fourth richest man in the world. He still lives a very simple life and is dedicated to the cause he pursues.

"I'm not sure he cares so much about his own life. Certainly the deal that was struck (with the aliens) involved the saving of some lives. So, to some extent, it could be argued he was making the best of a bad job."
"They are tricky moral questions. But I also don't think anybody, unless they are really psychopathic, thinks they're the bad guy - they always thinks somebody else is."

Chris Carter, the creator of 'The X-Files' had no doubts about CSM being the bad guy on his award winning show.
Davis appeared in the first 'X-Files' episode filmed in 1993, as a silent extra and after 20 episodes finally said his first lines. "Chris Carter wanted somebody who could radiate a certain power without speaking," Davis says. "I suppose he always imagined this figure being shadowy and in the background, but it has gradually built and has become a much more pominent role than was intended.
"In the early days, whenever I go a script I would read it from back to front to see if I was still alive. Once, when I asked Chris if he was going to kill the character off, all he said was, 'You can't kill the devil'."

The antagonism between good and evil (Fox Mulder and CSM) has been evident from the start of the series and has developed into a Luke Skywalker - Darth Vader- type scenario, with CSM rumored to be Mulder's father (but nothing is a certainy in 'The X-Files').
A memorable Mulder line in an episode in which his mother lay critically ill in hospital sums up the relationship between the two characters. As CSM made his way along the hospital corridor to visit Mulder's mother, our handsome hero looked at him and said "Please tell me you have come here because you are having severe chest pains".

Davis believes such stinging barbs and being thrown against several walls with Mulder's gun pointed at his head are some of the most memorable scenes in the series.
Off the set, Davis says he and Duchovny "get along fine", but there was one time when on-set tension between the two would not have been difficult to create.
"We've never hung out and, to be truthful, I don't see David that often," says Davis, who travels from Vancouver to Los Angeles to film the series when required.
"We have had a few terrific scenes together, but quite a lot of the time he is not involved in the scenes or in the parts of the episodes that I am. "We had a bit of a disagreement, I suppose you could say, about moving the show from Vancouver to Los Angeles (at the end of the fifth season).
"This is what he wanted and I never complained about it personally, but I expressed in the press I was unhappy we had to let go of the crew who had been with us since the begining of the show. Also, leaving Vancouver was hard because it was so much a part of the show. But, on the whole, we have gotten along."

Davis, a competitive water skier, downhill skiing instructor and non-smoker of 18 years, studied at the London Academy Of Music And Dramatic Arts and was an assistant director at the National Theatre in its Laurence Olivier era. He returned to Canada in the mid '60s and today he divides his time between playing CSM, being the director of The William Davis Centre For Actor's Study and pursuing a new interest -writing. "I'm actually working on writing an episode of 'The X-Files' at the moment, so we'll see whether they use it or not.' he says.

"I'm trying to develop an episode that involves CSM and Scully, because we've never really done anything with that relationship. I've been complaining about it for ages because I think Gillian's such a good actress, but I never get to work with her. So I thought perhaps if I could write something we may be able to explore an interesting new relationship on the show."

Davis also works extensively with the Canadian Cancer Society as a fundraiser and in anti-smoking compains. "We have been able to turn my notoriety, if you like, to good purpose' he says "The only flack I ever had was from a smokers' rights group. This particular individual was very upset at my presenting cigarette smoking in such a negative light. As long as the smoking is associated with this evil (in his character) and certainly with the personal pain the character feels, it's fine.

"It would be quite a different matter if Scully smoked. That would make it something that everybody wanted to do, because they want to be like Scully. But nobody wants to be like CSM." But despite his despicable acts, CSM is a character fans love to hate. "I recently did an audition and ended up walkaing around downtown Vancouver in my suit, which I rarely ever do - usually I wear casual clothes," Davis says. "But because I was in my suit it was like, 'Hey, there's Cancer Man. hey, Cancer Man!' The attention I recieve is in moderate doses, but it must be very different for David and Gillian. It's not that extreme so it's not overwhelming. It's generally quite pleasant, actually. A lady in a lift once said to me, 'You look like the scary guy from'TheX-Files'.' "But it has been a remarkable experience,' he says of the show. "It has been an amazing ride for all of us. It has taken us places we never expected to go. So much of it was chance, really - I just happened to be at the right place at the right time."

Gillian's V-Day 2000 6/11/99

Gillian will be redoing a selection of The V-Monologues as part of V-Day 2000 at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on 16 February 2000. Other celebrities there include: Ellen Degeneres, Melissa Etheridge, Calista Flockhart, Gina Gershon, Anne Heche, Shirley Knight, Kathy Najimy, Thandie Newton, & Winona Ryder. Tickets are now available by calling Ticketmaster at 213.480.3232.

Hollywood Access Poll, 1999 6/11/99

**Your all-time favorite TV actor:
George Clooney 11.2 %, Bill Cosby 28.0%, David Duchovny 36.5%, Dick Van Dyke 9.3 %, Michael J. Fox 14.9 %

**Your all-time favorite TV actress:
Gillian Anderson 53.4 %, Lucille Ball 18.6 %, Sarah Michelle Gellar 19.6 %, Elizabeth Montgomery 3.0 %, Mary Tyler Moore 5.3 %

** Your all-time favorite TV drama:
Charlie's Angels 3.9 %, ER 28.8 %, Little House on the Prairie 11.8 %, Magnum, P.I. 5.7 %, The X-Files 49.8 %

Gillian Anderson On Stage: Los Angeles Times, Morning Report By SHAUNA SNOW From: L.A. Times

Starry 'Monologues': Celebrities Calista Flockhart, Winona Ryder, Gillian Anderson, Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche have agreed to appear in the L.A. production of "The Vagina Monologues," scheduled for Feb. 16 at the Wiltern Theatre. Other scheduled cast members include Gina Gershon, Thandie Newton, Kathy Najimy, Jessica Alba, Melissa Etheridge, Rachel Blanchard, Shirley Knight and Soraya Mire. The event, produced by Step Up Women's Network, celebrates "V-Day," an event aiming to halt violence against women by fund-raising and raising awareness.

GILLIAN & DAVID IN PEOPLE MAGAZINE From: October 4, 1999 People Magazine Issue

p. 12 SCOOP There's a brief article about the PETA gala accompanied by 5 small color photos. One shows Gillian with Ellen and Anne, all of them laughing. The caption reads: McCartney's "a cool guy," said Ellen DeGeneres (center, with Gillian Anderson and Anne Heche).
p. 18 STARTRACKS Picture of DD running on the beach. Caption: The X-ercise Files: David Duchovny peeled off after the swim leg of a Malibu triathlon, making landfall 101st in his division of 186. The event raised $70,000 for pediatric AIDS.

Excerpt from NEW HUNKS FOR LAW & ORDER From: The Orange County Register

Q: So how was it playing an "X-Files" alien — and being directed by David Duchovny?

A: Martin: "He's an extremely intelligent person. He knows how to inspire you. Every day on set, I was kind of giggling, 'Wow, wow, I can't believe I'm standing here talking to aliens in the desert in the middle of the night.'

"David left a lot up to me. There was a point in the story where my alien character Josh was asked to sing by his fellow baseball players. Initially David wanted him to sound like he'd never sung before in his life. I know it sounds funny, but it was hard for me to sing poorly, and I told David 'If this alien wanted to be a singer, he'd do it well.' And he allowed me to do it."

WOMEN AGAINST GENDER APARTHEID IN AFGHANISTAN From: Star Magazine, August 31, 1999

Click here for photo

Caption under photo reads: Here are more than 100 of Hollywood's most powerful women, pictured together for the first time ever. STAR has the exclusive first look at 118 celebrities who recently participated in Women Against Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan. This group photo was taken at the charity event where some of Hollywood's biggest stars turned out to show support in exposing the brutal treatment of women and girls living under gender apartheid in Afghanistan. The star-studded fund-raising bash was sponsored by the Feminist Majority Foundation, a Los Angeles-based charity chaired by Mavis Leno, wife of talk-show host Jay Leno. To contact the foundation call: 888-93WOMEN.

Feminists Against Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan

Furious Duchovny probes real-life X-Files 'conspiracy' From: Star Magazine, August 31, 1999 . p31

David Duchovny believes he's unearthed a stunning conspiracy on THE X-FILES -- he's claiming the producers of the hit cult series plotted against him with creator Chris Carter and cheated him out of millions of dollars of profits.

In a lawsuit filed Aug.12 in the Santa Monica branch of Los Angeles Superior Court, Duchovny claims his TV bosses at 20th Century Fox sold the series to its own cable network, FX Cable Network, and its own broadcast network, Fox Broadcasting Co., for less than the fair market value.
But even more shocking is the actor's accusation that Fox paid his longtime friend Carter millions to keep him mum about the deal. ,p> Duchovny, 39, who plays Fox Mulder on the show, says Fox promised to sell the series for big bucks and share the profits with him. When it sold the show to its own stations, the actor failed to receive the benefits he would've received if it had been sold to someone else.
"David and Chris were best buddies," says an insider. "Chris gave him his big break by casting him on the show, but now David feels the show wouldn't be what it is today without him. He feels betrayed."

The actor also claims in the court papers that: "Fox and Carter have entered into a conspiracy whereby Fox has paid to Carter millions of dollars in 'hush' money and granted to Carter a 13-episode commitment to develop and produce a new television series for Fox and FBC in order to 'buy' Carter's silence and his acquiescence in Fox's self-dealing."
Although Carter wasn't named as a defendant, the suit does claim that Fox paid him almost $20 million between September 1997 and September 1998 and another $14 million "in unspecified advances" between September 1998 and March 1999 for purposes Fox has not documented.

"It takes a guy with a lot of nerve to go up against such a powerhouse as 20th Century Fox, but David's just that kind of guy," says the insider. "He wasn't going to just allow something like this to slip by."
The suit doesn't specify the amount of damages, but published reports indicate Duchovny is seeking more than $25 million.

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WILL ANOTHER SCI-FI ROLE ALIENATE DAVID? From: The 21-27 August edition of UK "TV Times"

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David Duchovny may have his heart set on leaving "The X-Files" after the next series but if James Cameron gets his way, the star will not be leaving the sci-fi genre behind. He wants Duchovny to star in Mars, the big budget TV project that the director has, to the surprise of Hollywood, chosen as his next major project after his Titanic success.

Before Cameron takes the helm on a big-screen adaptation of Spiderman, starring Ttanic heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio, he is to direct the first episode of Mars - a £25million mini-series.

Based on author Kim Stanley Robinson's acclaimed best-seller, Red Planet Mars, it is the tale of mankind's first attempt to terraform the red planet. The story comes in three volumes, with Green Planet Mars and Blue Planet Mars concluding the trilogy.

Over the course of the next five years, Cameron intends to film the lot through his own production company, Lightstorm, but will only direct the first and last episodes.

Data drawn from NASA's recent probe expedition to Mars is being used by Cameron's special effects unit to digitally create the most authentic Martian landscape they possibly can.

Location filming will not, as insiders predicted after the Titanic expeditions, take place on Mars itself, but in the Mexican desert.

DAVID HEADED DOWN UNDER? From: From the 8 August Sydney "Sunday Telegraph":

Duchovny tip

David Duchovny is likely to be the first international star to sign a deal to attend the opening of Fox Studios Australia at Moore Park.

Duchovny, accompanied by wife Tea Leoni, heads a list of possible celebrities that passed under Benelong's nose last week.

The studios officially open their doors on November 7.

THE X SMILES From: From the Sunday Mail July 25, 1999 (Courtesy of GAWS)

MEGA-RICH actress Gillian anderson proved her heart is as big as her bank balance yesterday when she turned up at a tiny Scots charity shop.
For the actress - better known as smouldering FBI agent Dana Scully from The X Files - agreed to cut the ribbon at a jumble store opened by the Neurofibromatosis Association.

Charity staff approached the multi-millionaire star while she was filming a movie in Glasgow.

Gillian's brother, Aaron, suffers from the distressing genetic disorder NF, which causes learning difficulties, tumours and bone problems.

Last night shop managet Karen Ferguson said the TV star had insisted on being at the opening of the store in Cathcart Road, Mount Florida.
She added: "The crowds were delighted and Gillian spent a lot of time chatting and signing autographs, even on bus tickets.
"She also spoke about NF and how it was close to her heart because of her brother."
Gillian, who is patron of the NF Trust, has been in Glasgow for a month shooting a £6 million movie, House of Mirth.

High Road hunk Simon Weir is Gillian's love interest in the steamy adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel.
Some of the film's most sizzling scenes are to be shot in the City Chambers.
Yesterday Gillian said "Glasgow is a fantastic place. "Unfortunately I've seen so little of the city because of the hours I've been working."

Here's the pic

It's Mulder Superior! From: PA X-Files

HOLY smoke! Women have a habit of falling for X-Files hunk David Duchovny--but nun of his girlfriends ever looked like this.
David, 39, gave a passing sister a lift on the front of his bike during a break from filming his latest movie.
And his unlikely passenger almost fell off laughing as they crossed Pantheon Square in Rome. An onlooker said: "David seemed to be having fun, but the nun looked a bit wobbly and was holding her rosary beads tightly."
David--FBI agent Fox Mulder in the sci-fi series--is in Italy filming romantic comedy Return to Me which co-stars British actress Minnie Driver, 28. Minnie receives a hear transplan from David's dead wife and he promptly falls in love with her. Here's the pic to go with it.

Next season likely my last: Duchovny From: Canoe

Next season will almost certainly be his last playing alien-chasing FBI Agent Fox Mulder on television, series co-star David Duchovny said yesterday.

X-Files TV series probably won't go on without Mulder
By CLAIRE BICKLEY -- Toronto Sun HOLLYWOOD -- File The X-Files under 'almost closed.'

"Seven years is a long time to do one show and I have other things to do," said Duchovny, whose contract expires after next season, as does creator/executive producer Chris Carter's. They plan to reteam in feature films continuing the franchise.

Earlier yesterday, Carter called a further TV season unlikely but said he hasn't ruled out continuing without Duchovny if Fox asks that the show live on. Co-lead Gillian Anderson is contractually obligated to an eighth year.

"I'd consider anything but I would have to feel good about the kind of stories we were telling," Carter said. "If it didn't feel right to me and it was just being done as sort of a commercial venture, I would be less interested."

Well-established :

Duchovny believes the show is so well-established and well-run that it could go on without him.

"People love it. They understand it. Therefore, even if I was indispensable at one point, I'm no longer indispensable. Nobody is indispensable. It's a brand name. It's Crest. It's something like that. It's Menudo," he said. Not that he'd be glad to be proven right about that.
"I feel really proprietary about the character," he admitted. "There would be part of me that would be sitting at home wishing thoroughly that it would fail. I feel like it's mine."

Duchovny said he's grown weary of analysis of The X-Files' popularity, theories that its success is linked to a prevailing culture of conspiracy or the audience's pre-millennium mood.

"All these things that I'm sure you're just as sick of writing as we are of reading it," he said.

"I think you know that at its heart, at its base, at its core, it was just a f------ good show."

'X-Files' Creator Unsure Of Future Beyond Spring From: New York Now

By RICHARD HUFF
Daily News Staff Writer

PASADENA: Going into the fall season, the biggest mystery surrounding Fox' "The X-Files" will be whether the show will be around after the coming year.

Series creator and executive producer Chris Carter said yesterday that he was outlining this year's storylines as if it'll go off the air next May, but he couldn't say definitively if that would be the end.

"I have no absolute answer about this," Carter said. "I've got to plan a year and if I don't have any idea of what their plans are, I've got to make my plans."

His contract with the series expires at season's end as does that of series star David Duchovny. Co-star Gillian Anderson is signed on for a year after the coming season, the show's seventh.

Carter said he's heard that Fox executives are interested in keeping the show around longer, but he has not officially talked to Fox brass about bringing "The X-Files" back beyond next spring.

The producer, who's also helming Fox' new drama "Harsh Realm," said it would be nice to know now what the future holds for "The X-Files."
"I'm looking at these next 22 episodes as a wrapup," Carter said.

Duchovny has said he does not want to return after the coming season. Asked if he'd continue the show without Duchovny, Carter said it depended on a number of factors.

"I'll consider anything," he said. "I would have to feel good about the stories we're telling." Besides the series, Carter said there is another "X-Files" movie in the works.
"I think it would be wonderful to do one this summer, but I think this is going to be a busy year," he said.