Anderson received the Variety Icon Award at CannesSeries, where she opened up about the highs and lows of playing FBI Agent Dana Scully. While she acknowledged that many fans view her “X-Files” character as something of a feminist icon, Anderson revealed that she does not necessarily see it that way. “I don’t think it was as clear-cut in my mind as being, ‘Oh, this is a feminist character,’” Anderson said. “I think that it was more of just, ‘This is a woman that I haven’t seen before on television, and she’s so unique.’”

While “The X-Files” was notable for having a female character in such a prominent role at the FBI, Anderson lamented that the show was still a product of its time. She detailed the small ways that her character was portrayed as less competent than David Duchovny’s Fox Mulder, and said she frequently had to push back against outdated gender tropes. Related ‘The Pale Blue Eye’ Teaser: Christian Bale Joins Edgar Allan Poe in 1830s Serial Killer Mystery 9 Semi-Scary to Very Scary Shows Perfect For Fledgling Horror TV Fans Related The 13 Best Slasher Movies Ever Made, from ‘Candyman’ to ‘Psycho’ Oscars 2023: Best Original Score Predictions
“I was expected to walk behind [Duchovny] when [our characters] walked up to the front doors of the people we were investigating,” she said. “There were things that I rebelled against.” When asked about a potential revival, Anderson did not completely close the door, but made it very clear that more “X-Files” is not a priority for her. She also referenced the show’s controversial ending, in which Agent Scully was revealed to be pregnant in a sendoff that many fans felt was bizarre and disrespectful to the character. “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,” she said. “In order to even begin to have that conversation [about 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. So yeah, it’s very much in the past.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.