Gillian Anderson interview on

"The Rosie O'Donnell Show", Thursday, May 9th, 2002:

Rosie O'Donnell: Our next guest is coming to the end of a nine-year run on the hit show, The X-Files. Take a look, as she tried to poison me once with a tofu pie, from an earlier appearance on this program: {Andrea's Note: a clip is shown of an interview Rosie did with Gillian on June 15th, 1998}

Gillian Anderson: It's wheat-free...

RO: Yeah.

GA: ...and it's dairy-free...

RO: Oh, yeah. (not convinced)

GA: ...and it's sugar-free.

RO: Great! (audience laughs)

GA: (giggles) And I wanna see you take a bite!

RO: It sounds delicious! (she takes a bite, scrunching up her face)

GA: It's honey-flavored. Is it any good? (audience laughs)

RO: Now you know what's scary? The first taste--it's sort of entertaining, and then it becomes like that paste you used to have in 3rd grade! (clip ends) Please welcome back to the show--Gillian Anderson! (Gillian comes out dressed in a chocolate brown sweater, black pants, and black high heels; audience applauds) ...take the kids and go away! We're both--I was gonna say, your show's winding down--want a footstool?

GA: Oh, yes--please! (footstool comes from under her chair)

RO: Yes! There you go! Ask and you shall receive!

GA: Oh, that's nice.

RO: It's so much better, isn't it?

GA: You must have a lot of guests with long legs on here?

RO: Well, you know, once I sat there in year two, and I couldn't believe my feet didn't touch. I thought all the people had been suffering, for a year, without even saying anything.

GA: That's true, that's uhhh...

RO & GA: Hi!

RO: You're almost done!

GA: Yeah, I'm done!

RO: You're totally done!

GA: I'm done done!

RO: But you're not done airing.

GA: No, not airing.

RO: The finale, yeah.

GA: Done shooting.

RO: How was the last day--was it very emotional?

GA: Ummm, we were in the desert, in Borrego Springs, and it was uhhh, there were people who were emotional but it was like--you know, it was a hundred and some degrees, and there was wind, and there was heat...

RO: Right.

GA: ...and we were trying to get it up, to cry, and you know, the sand would just get in our eyes... (giggles)

RO: Right.

GA: ...you know, it was mixed. It was ummm, you know, it's sad.

RO: It's sad?

GA: It really is--it's just sad.

RO: But also, nine years--that's a LONG run.

GA: It's a long time.

RO: Yeah.

GA: Yeah, that's almost a third of my life.

RO: Right.

GA: Isn't that weird?

RO: When you think of it that way.

GA: I was 24...

RO: When you started.

GA: ...when I started. And I'm almost 34.

RO: How about that?

GA: How 'bout that?

RO: I remember, I was up in uhhh, Vancouver I believe it was...

GA: Mmm-hmmm.

RO: ...when you were shooting the pilot...

GA: Yes!

RO: ...of that. I was doing a movie.

GA: And you snuck me some cigarettes or something, didn't you?

RO: Yes, I did. (Gillian laughs)

GA: Sorry to bring that up.

RO: I didn't smoke 'em.

GA: No no no--she didn't smoke them.

RO: Did you know I've never tried a cigarette?

GA: Ever?

RO: I'm 40 years old, in my whole life.

GA: That's amazing.

RO: Well, it always grossed me out.

GA: As, as it should.

RO: Yeah, it should. You don't smoke anymore?

GA: No.

RO: Good. Swear?

GA: No! (giggles)

RO: You liar! (audience laughs) I can tell you are lying!

GA: Well, I didn't--I don't lie.

RO: No, no but a little bit--you smoke. A little bit.

GA: So when you asked me, honestly--yeah, you know...

RO: But you shouldn't.

GA: ...just--no, I shouldn't, and I did stop for two years...

RO: Yeah.

GA: ...but, you know, transitions are hard.

RO: Yeah.

GA: And that's a big transition right now.

RO: Yes, listen--let me give you some advice.

GA: So, every once in a while, I'm just--yeah.

RO: If the transition's hard--cupcakes! (audience laughs)

GA: I have tried that--it doesn't work for me.

RO: It doesn't work for you?

GA: No no no--it doesn't work for me.

RO: I understand. How's the baby girl? Not a baby anymore.

GA: She's--no, she's not a baby--she's uhhh, 7 1/2.

RO: 7--7 1/2!

GA: 7 1/2!

RO: Wow!

GA: I know. She's awesome.

RO: Loving school?

GA: Ummm, not especially. (laughs)

RO: No, no.

GA: No, but I don't remember loving school at that time.

RO: Right.

GA: No, loving school, but just really--you know, she loves explaining things. She loves trying to figure things out. Her, her father's kind of ummm, an inventor, in a way.

RO: Right.

GA: Ummm, and uhhh, and she loves to figure-if, if there's a problem, she'll figure it out for you, you know.

RO: Right.

GA: What's so funny, I forgot--the other day, we were ummm, we were in Los Angeles, and she had been over at a friend's house, to--at a party, and I was just trying to make conversation with her about how the party was.

RO: Right.

GA: Sometimes she'll share information with me, and sometimes she's just mute, and she says, 'I'm tired. I don't wanna talk.' But she ummm, you know, 'What was it like? What was the house like?' She goes, 'Uhhh, Spanish-Italian!' (audience & Rosie laugh) And I thought, 'What?' What does Spanish-Italian mean to her? I, you know, and I said, 'Piper, what, you know, sweetie, what do you mean, Spanish-Italian?' She says, 'You see that balcony over there?' (points upwards toward the audience & laughs) 'Cause we were driving down the street. She says, 'That's kind of, that's more Italian than Spanish. That's not really...' I, I don't know where she's getting this information from.

RO: She's looking on the Web under 'architectural.com' or something! (audience laughs)

GA: I don't know whether she's making this up. I know! (laughs)

RO: She's like a genius.

GA: I don't know.

RO: That's so funny.

GA: It's really interesting.

RO: Do you get mad when she doesn't wanna talk? 'Cause I get mad when my son doesn't wanna talk--he's around the same age.

GA: I don't know about mad, but I get--I get frustrated.

RO: Yeah!

GA: You know what I mean?

RO: Yeah. 'How was school?' And he goes, 'Mom, I don't feel like talking!' (audience laughs)

GA: I know. What is--what is that?

RO: I, I never remember saying that to my parents.

GA: I don't remember saying that either.

RO: Yeah, I'm like, (big booming voice) 'You'd better talk or I'll give you something to cry about!' (Gillian & audience laugh) 'Rahrahrah!' He laughs when I threaten him with physical violence.

GA: Does he?

RO: Because, you know--I don't do it. You know, 'I am SO gonna give you a spanking!' And he goes, 'Oh, no you're NOT!' (audience laughs) So, you know, he knows.

GA: Does he roll his eyes at you?

RO: Yeah.

GA: When, when you think you're being like, like, cool...

RO: Yes.

GA: ...or when you think you're being--and she's just like, ' Mom!'

RO: Funny. When I'm being funny with his friends around, you know...

GA: Yeah.

RO: ...like, 'Hey kids--don't smoke any crack!' You know (Gillian laughs) like I make jokes, right? He goes, 'Oh--really funny--dur!' You know (she & audience laugh)--like he's so over me.

GA: Wow. Yeah.

RO: Yeah.

GA: Yeah, she's over me, too.

RO: Yeah, I think its that age--seven to eight.

GA: Yeah? (giggles) That's so good to hear!

RO: (agreeing) Yeah, I know! We're old--our kids are rolling their eyes at us...

GA: ...I know!

RO: ...and we're unemployed! Gillian! (audience laughs) And you know we're gonna have to go on vacation or go into rehab--do something! You know what I mean?

GA: Something? ...shake it up a little bit.

RO: Exactly. Now David appears on the last episode, yes?

GA: Yeah, he does.

RO: Which is nice.

GA: It's really nice.

RO: He comes back to do what--to say...?

GA: Well, I think there's a clip--but, but he comes back to ummm, to well, he's found.

RO: Yeah, thank goodness.

{Andrea's Note: This part of the transcript might be considered *SPOILER* material, so if you don't want to know what's going to happen in the last episode, please skip over this section!!!}

GA: You know, he is found, and ummm, when uhhh, when he's found, he's found in a prison. And I think the clip that you guys have is me, trying to convince him to testify.

RO: Okay.

GA: To, to get on the stand and to...

RO: Talk about the bad people who did bad things to him for many years.

GA: ...testify. Exactly. But he doesn't want to.

RO: He doesn't want to.

GA: He doesn't wanna save himself.

RO: Okay, take a look at this, from the season finale of The X-Files. {Andrea's Note: Scene from THE TRUTH begins to play. I'll say it again, if you don't want to be *SPOILED*, please stop reading now! The scene will be posted in bold.}

MULDER is in his cell, wearing an orange jumpsuit; SCULLY is standing beside him in the cell, dressed in her regular business attire...

SCULLY:
Make them a deal, Mulder. Guilty on a lesser charge--maybe they'll go for it and they'll let you walk out of here.

MULDER:
I'd rather die, Scully.

SCULLY:
How can you say that? How can you say that, Mulder--to *me*!

MULDER:
Because this is greater than you or me. This is about everything we've worked for--for nine years. The truth, that we both sacrificed so much to uncover and to expose.

SCULLY:
Well then, expose it, Mulder! Take the stand--whatever it is that you're withholding--take the stand, and hit them full force!

(scene ends & audience applauds)

RO: (softly) Yeah! Sorry! (giggles)

GA: ...{can't make out over all the applause--Andrea}

RO: Yeah, we were talking about real things!

GA: (looking at a gold microphone on Rosie's desk) ...does this mic work?

RO: It does work.

GA: This is a working thing.

RO: It's in case our mics go out...

GA: Oh, okay.

RO: ...and they've never really gone out.

GA: Okay.

RO: But it's pure gold, apparently.

GA: Really?

RO: Yeah, like in year two, right? The people who made the microphones sent me a 24-karat gold mic. Can you believe that?

GA: No. (giggles)

RO: Do you want it?

GA: Yes, thank you.

RO: You can take--you're unemployed now--you might need that! (audience laughs)

GA: Oh.

RO: Yeah, take it. Melt it, make it--no, tell me what you have over there--what is that? (Gillian holds up a shirt)

GA: This is a shirt that I, ummm wore, in the uhhh, in the final two-parter.

RO: Right.

GA: And ummm, on the X-Files website, we are auctioning it off...

RO: Excellent.

GA: ...and then the uhhh, the proceeds are going to your charity.

RO: Excellent! (audience applauds) And you're gonna sign it, I take it?

GA: I'll sign it right here!

RO: Sign it right here--here's a pen. And put that up--here's the information right there--that you can go for the X-Files, and uhhh, we're gonna be telling you next week about some of the stuff we're gonna have on the show--up for auction as well.

GA: But one thing--real quick, before we go--this is me signing for uhhh, Rosie's auction. I've also--can I talk--can I plug my auction?

RO: Sure. Yes.

GA: I have an auction of ummm, X-Files memorabilia on my website, which is G-A-W-S.ao.net. And uhhh, all the proceeds will go to ummm, neurofibromatosis, which is a charity that I do a lot of work for.

RO: Excellent, and we'll put a link on our charity to that. (audience applauds)

GA: That would be great!

RO: Yes, on our website as well.

GA: Thank you.

RO: Gillian Anderson!

GA: Thank you so much!

RO: Let's go have a drink or something--we're done! Back right after this!

~END~