In this summer of Dark Knights and Hellboys and Iron Men, it's refreshing to be reminded -- as we will be this weekend, with the opening of "The-X-Files: I Want to Believe" -- that not so long ago, there was a science fiction series with a woman at its core, a heroine whose major goals were more about disproving the existence of extraterrestrial life than marrying Big, a chick who spent more time chasing fluke worms down toilets than trying on shoes. I was crazy about "The X-Files," Fox's pre-9/11 ode to trusting no one. I taped every episode. I watched many of them repeatedly. I borrowed fri ... [Continua a leggere]

Gillian Anderson was not eager to return to the small screen.After her hit Fox series “The X-Files” ended its run in 2002, the actress, a graduate of DePaul’s Theatre School, turned down all television offers, preferring to concentrate on film and stage work. Even though she now lives in London, Anderson nearly declined the role of the mysterious Lady Dedlock in the acclaimed BBC-Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic Victorian novel “Bleak House,” which debuts at 7 p.m. Sunday on WTTW-Ch. 11. But the actress took the part, she says, afte ... [Continua a leggere]

We all know Jennifer Beals from Flashdance — she with the off-the-shoulder sweatshirt. Now starring in Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming's new film The Anniversary Party, the Yale graduate told me a little secret over lunch on Wednesday. She was nearly cast as Scully on The X Files when David Duchovny — whom she knew at Yale — recommended her for the part."They asked me to do that show," Beals said. "But I didn't get it. I still don't get it. With all due respect for the fans, I couldn't imagine doing it every day. I mean, I think their acting is very good, but I couldn't ... [Continua a leggere]