The X-Files' Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny reunite 20 years after controversial kiss

The Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles last night featured many celebrity reunions on stage and off, including X-Files stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.

The actors, who appeared as Mulder and Scully together on the classic science fiction TV series from 1993 to 2002, and returned to their roles for two movies and a revival series in 2016, took to the stage at the Shrine Auditorium to present the award for outstanding ensemble cast in a drama series.

While Gillian, 56, looked stunning in a black strapless ballgown adorned with white flowers, her former costar, 64, looked a little dishevelled in a dark navy suit with a black open-necked shirt. More than a decade since they last appeared as their iconic characters, the pair announced the ensemble award with David joking: “‘Ensemble,’ I believe that's a French word that means: ‘Thank God I only have to work three days a week.’”

The comedy continued between the pair as they named the ‘one thing’ they both felt was essential to creating great drama, with them agreeing to name the important ingredient at the same time. However, David then said “timing,” first, and continuing the joke, Gillian responded with “chemistry” a few moments later.

“We’ve still got it,” she added, noting: “Hilarious! Hilarious! It was so good, we did that so well.” David then went to open the envelope and announced the winner, which was the cast of the Disney+ series Shogun.

Last year, Gillian addressed a controversial kiss she shared with David back in 1997, when she won the Emmy award for Best Actress. On hearing her name announced at the ceremony, she kissed David first even though her boyfriend at the time, Rodney Rowland, was sitting next to her. She did go on to kiss Rodney before going to the stage to accept the award.

In a video she posted in July 2024, Gillian said: “OK so I’ve been told that you guys want some information about when I won the Emmy back about a century ago and I kissed David first and why did I not kiss my boyfriend Rodney.”

“The fact is that David and I were actually living together and Rodney was my beard,” she joked. “I’m joking, that’s just a joke. Is that really mean? I don’t know why I kissed him first. I guess because he was on the show with me and we were practically married because we spent more time with each other than we did with our loved ones. We were there to celebrate the series and so yeah. Maybe? Maybe that’s what it was?”

Gillian said that her boyfriend was fine about it. “Rodney was a great guy, don’t think it bothered him. He understood. It was complex.”

David and Gillian have previously spoken about their relationship on the set of The X-Files, and have admitted they didn’t always get along or spend any time together when the cameras weren’t rolling. “There was a long time, working on the show, where we were just not even dealing with one another off-camera,” David said on his podcast Fail Better, where Gillian was his guest. “I mean, it's crazy that we were able to present on camera, you know, the various feelings and emotions and attraction and all that kind of stuff,” she said, “but then not speak to each other for weeks at a time.”

Gillian and David weren’t the only former co-stars who reunited at the SAG Awards on Sunday. Kristen Bell, who hosted the show, also presented one segment with her former Gossip Girl costar Leighton Meester. On the teen series, Kristen was the voice of Gossip Girl, while Leighton starred as rich girl Blair Waldorf. Meanwhile, Jamie Lee Curtis noted she was reunited with Colin Farrell, “the man who gave me Covid at the Golden Globes.” He admitted he was “guilty as charged” but had caught the disease himself from his Banshees of Inisherin costar Brendan Gleeson.

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