'The X-Files' made a comeback in the 2010s, but star Gillian Anderson has a very specific request if he was to reprise her role as Dana Scully.
Speaking to Variety, Anderson said that in order for her to return to the hit sci-fi drama, "a whole new set of writers" would be required to bring the series up to date with more modern sensibilities.
Anderson was initially excited to take the role in the 1990s, recalling "this is a woman that I haven’t seen before on television, and she’s so unique."
However, as the series progressed, she took issue with the sexist elements present within the show.
“I was expected to walk behind David Duchovny when our characters walked up to the front doors of the people we were investigating" she recalled.
"There were things I rebelled against," she added.
The beloved show returned for two new seasons in 2016 and 2018, but Anderson said the way her character was written has given her pause for thought before reprising the role again.
At the end of the 2018 revival, Scully is revealed to be pregnant, and Anderson implied she wasn't overly happy with how that plotline was handled.
“It just feels like such an old idea. 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 about doing another season, 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," she said.
Anderson has established herself as one of the most in-demand actresses on television today, with an Emmy-winning performance for her performance as Margaret Thatcher in 'The Crown' and her turn on 'Sex Education' also drawing rave reviews from critics.
'The X-Files' was one of the biggest shows of the 1990s, with the show debuting in 1993 and quickly becoming a global sensation.
The initial run of the show ended in 2002, and the series was revived in 2016 and 2018, with critics noting the revival seasons largely didn't live up to the initial run of the show.
