Article from The X-Files Official Magazine - Winter 2000

What would a season be without Mulder? Or half a season to be more precise. But fear not you X-Philes, Special Agent John Doggett, played by Robert Patrick shows that he has what it takes to step into the space vacated by Fox Mulder (David Duchvony) and breath new life into a faltering show.

Most of you would most probably remember Robert as the liquid-metal villian T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. But this Georgia-borned actor has a list of credits a mile long, working consistently since they day he left college and packed a bag to head for Los Angeles almost 20 years ago.

He paid his dues sleeping in his car and waiting tables until he was asked to audition for a Roger Corman film by someone impressed with his performance in a stage production. Since then, stand-out performances in T2, Fire in the Sky, Striptease, Copland and recently, on The Sopranos have made Patrick a household name. But he was still dissatisfied with his villainous on-screen reputation. He hopes his role as Doggett will amend that. "I think this will help me go from just being known as the liquid-metal guy," he says. "At least now I'll be known as The X-Files guy. And that's fine because that's two totally different things."

"This is huge exposure," he continues. "More people will see one night of really good TV than will every see a movie in one night. Terminator 2 was a hugely successful film, but I think one night of The X-Files reaches a bigger audience."

Patrick - a longtime fan of Chris Carter - insisted on meeting with the show's creator when he got word that Carter was interested in him for a new lead role in The X-Files, even though his agent said he was unavailable. After a few meetings, he amicably ended his relationship with the other studio and joined The X-Files.

"I actually read for one of the roles on Harsh Realm. but my buddy D.B.Sweeney from Fire in the Sky got it," he remembers. "I think there was something I did in that audition that Chris liked, and he thought about me for this." Spotnitz and Carter have both said that from the moment they first met with Patrick, they realized he perfectly embodied what they had envisioned for the character of Doggett. "I think I have a good reputation around town as a hard-working actor who shows up and does his stuff and is professional. I like to think that I have a blue-collar work ethic," Patrick says. "I've never seen acting as a birthright, something that your should take for granted, I think it's a rare kind of a job that if you get the opportunity to do it, you should be pretty grateful for it. So I try not ti take it for granted. Does that apply to John Doggett? Yeah, I think so."

Another thing Patrick shares with this X-Files alter-ego is a bit of pressure to prove himself worthy of the task. And by all accounts, Patrick's performance has exceeded expectations so far. But it hasn't been easy. "It's more demanding than the feature film world," he says. "You just have a lot more pages of dialogue that you have to do on a daily basis. And we work a bit quicker.You work five days a week, and you're one of the leads in an hour drama. And you shoot an episode in about eight days. But's that's a complaint in any way. That's just the fact. I love the work."

Patrick credits his happiness on the show mainly to his appreciation for the character of John Doggett, whic he describes as possibly the greatest role of his career. "He's a former marine and New York City police detective," Patrick explains. "He's been described as blue collar from his work ethic point of view. He's very street-smart guy, centered and confident. At his core, he has a strong code and he's really a decent human being. I like the fact that I'm a good guy. I really do. I've played a lot of villains in my career. It's very exciting for me to be on the side of right." Although Patrick has worked hard to get to this point in his career and has the confidence he can do justice to this role, he still takes a step back every now and then and is amazed at this good fortune. "I can't be anything but excited about my job," Patrick says. "I mean, I'm working with some of the best guys in the business. Lucky me. How did I luck out and get on one of the best shows in television my first stab into television? I'm like, 'Are you kidding me?' This is great. This is fantastic."

"It's just a great opportunity," he continues. "I see it totally with the glass half full. The role is something I don't think I could have written better for myself. When I put on my John Doggett suit and go to work, it feels so right. I don't think I;ve been this happy in a long time. I wake up every morning very excited about going to work. It's very rewarding."