David Duchovny says he almost rejected The X-Files

Deadline

The actor admitted on the Literally! With Rob Lowe podcast that he once considered turning down the sci-fi drama’s pilot. “I had gotten… a couple of scenes in this movie of the week, and it was a director who I was friendly with, and I was going to have to…pull out of that part to do The X-Files pilot,” Duchovny told Rob Lowe, according to Deadline. “I said to my agents, ‘I don’t want to do that. You know, she’s a friend, and I don’t want to pull out.’” At the time, Duchovny says he thought, “X-Files, this is about extraterrestrials. How long can it go? It’s a good pilot but you’re either going to see the aliens or (not).”