Story One- February 1998 Posted to Gillian Anderson list

Last Saturday my mom, sister, and I flew to Vancouver. I'm not going to go into everything in complete detail (although it'll probably be lengthy anyway) because this was my sister's private wish and I don't want to seem gossipy or whatever because the people from the show were just wonderful... I think there are things that my sister will want to keep for herself, I guess. I'm only posting here to this list because I am incredibly grateful for the input I received in November. But, anyway...

Tuesday we went to the set, and right away saw Tom Braidwood and Chris Carter. Tom Braidwood immediately offered my sister his director's chair (which she turned down, she was very embarrassed and shy at first). CC smiled and waved, but mostly he was very very focused on the scenes and VERY serious. Every now and then inbetween scenes my sister would laugh outloud or make some kind of noise that 8-year olds do, and he'd look at her like, you better not do that when we're filming. I'm pretty sure it was unnerving having an 8-year old there all day, wondering not "if" but "when" the kid would ruin a scene. Thankfully that didn't happen. My sister was very good about being quiet while filming, and, um, herself, while not.

We met Mitch Pileggi next, and he was very nice. So was David Duchovny. But my sister didn't really look at them much, she was watching GA, who came out while DD was talking to us (and my sister was staring at GA, pretty much ignoring DD). Gillian was very sweet to my sister, she talked to her in that tone of voice that adults do with very young children. She was quiet; I don't know if she knew exactly what to say to a little 8 year old. Later on, we went into the make up trailer while GA was getting her make up touched up, and Nick Lea was there. My sister, not a "conspiracy" fan, asked him, "What do you play in the movie?" Later on, my sister played with Piper, who is very sweet and has gorgeous eyes. We also played with David Duchovny's dog, Blue, who just kind of wanders around the set. The man who played the Stupendous Yappi (Jaap Broeker sp?) was very very nice. My sister really took to him. He was with Blue most of the time.

Both GA and DD asked us, separately, if we were coming back Thursday, so we did :-). We went to where they were filming a location scene. That day GA was very "smiley" (as my sister described her), and she was sure to come up and talk to my sister. My sister was really nervous, very quiet, too, so they didn't say much to each other. Still, all my sister wanted was just to be there, with Gillian Anderson, and it was a great experience for her.

But, DD really endeared himself to my sister that day. He came out several times to talk to her, was very very good with her both days, and even made this stupid face my sister makes everyone do so that they can humiliate themselves and she can laugh at them. He really paid a lot of attention to her, and now she just adores him. She didn't think much about him before, not that she didn't like him, but Gillian has always been "her" person from the show. Now it's always "Gillian" or "David" this, "Gillian" or "David", that.

Overall it was a great thing. I know my sister will never forget it, it made her so happy. The people from the X-Files were really great; everyone was helpful and tolerant and everything of us being there, just standing around.


Story Two- 2/22/98 Posted to David Duchovny list

> Welcome aboard. > Wow, Sarah, you are a lucky girl. Wish you'd go into more detail about the > meeting though.

Like I said before it was a wish for my younger sister. So I'm a little reluctant to go post everywhere about it, because I don't want to exploit that, but I'm sure this will stay here in this list.

> Thanks for confirming that he's such a nice guy.

He was very, very good with my sister. Paid a lot of attention to her, especially the second day we went back, when they were filming at a hospital. At almost each break he'd come over and sit with us and talk to her. Was very happy, smiling, didn't seem upset or anything. At the time I hadn't read about the tantrum reports, but looking back I can't see that just five days before we were there, on the third working day after the supposed "tantrum" that he would behave like he did. He didn't seem to be worried or upset. CC was there, and while I didn't see them speak more than once, there didn't seem to be this big tension thing going on at all. I was really surprised to read later about the reports.

It's just what we all > wanted to hear with all these 'tantrum' rumours flying around. >

Yeah, I know! I'd have believed the rumors myself if I hadn't been there so soon after all it happened. I can see why DD might be upset that he'd been led to believe the show was moving or whatever then to read CC has this "plan" to keep it in Vancouver. The crew was so nice though, I can see why CC doesn't want to move it.

So who knows what will happen. I think that in the end DD will stay.

But anyway, here are a few comments:

DD looks pretty much the same as on TV. He smiles more in real life, of course, not as tortured looking as Mulder. He's as tall as he seems, though not as tall as he seems on TV next to GA. She is very small. As far as whether he looks his age...There was one point where DD came out and sat down, and he was saying something like he felt so old, and then he told my sister to guess his age. Little did he know that she's kept up on her trivia and he was pretty surprised when she guessed right. He gave her the funniest look. Was funny. He probably expected her to lift his ego and say 25. :-) Then he had her guess a bunch of the crew members' ages.

Also...he doesn't sing so bad as you would think from reading the US article. No worse than any average person, if you ask me. Um...he has a new pet, one of those stupid Giga Pets that my sister gave him, and he enjoyed taunting Piper a little bit (in fun, of course) over him having one and her not (she stole his for awhile but eventually gave it back.)

One of the funniest things, was my sister has this face she has everyone do so that she can laugh at them. She told me she was going to have him do it but I never thought he would. And he DID. It was so funny, because he was, like, What is it? What does it mean? And my sister was just laughing her little head off. She's easily entertained.

My mom was sitting down the hallway outside where they were filming because she had a cough, and the lady with her was surprised at how much attention DD was giving my sister. And I wasn't there, but right before we left, he got on the elevator by where my mom was sitting and started talking to her about my sister and her illness, and he the doors on the elevator kept going shut and he'd push them open to keep talking. I guess it was funny.

Anyway, I didn't even look at his eyes, but I guess I should've since people are always wondering what color they are. They aren't light, I remember that.

But I think this is enough details, I hope. It was a very great time, and very surprising to me. My sister's wish was to meet GA, and at first whenever DD would be there talking to her my sister would ignore him to look after GA or at her, but most of the second day GA was in bed for the scenes and not wandering around much, so it was DD who was there more. The whole thing was unexpected and a lot of fun.

Sarah


Story Three - Private email exchange Summer 98

Emily,

Actually the story I posted to that list about DD wasn't very complete at all. i was a little worried about posting about it b/c I didn't want to seem like exploiting my sister. So here is a little (ha nothing is little for me) rundown of what happened.

First day, we were on set. My sister's wish was, of course, to meet Gillian. At first my sister would not give DD the time of day! It was funny, b/c he was the first to some out and he and Mitch Pileggi were talking to me and my mom, and they would ask Jimiya questions and then she just totally ignored them, she was looking off somewhere else. i looked over and saw she had seen GA come out. Without saying anything else to DD or MP, she walked on over to Gillian :-) I just looked at the guys, like, sorry. She doesn't care about you...(no I didn't say that!!!)

Anyway, later on DD would sit by my sis (when I was sitting *in Gillian's chair* :-) and he would pretend to be all interested in her little Gigapet thing. But mostly we just hung around for the first hours.

Then, they moved everything to do a new scene around lunch break. At that time, GA disappeared (to smoke or be with Piper) but DD was hanging around and the guy who arranged everything had said if we wanted to get pics and autographs we should do it soon. But I just let him go by (I was *sick* to my stomach it was so unreal), my sis and I were just standing there watching him walk by (must've looked funny) then he turned around and said something to her, asked about her name... And I got the guts to say, "Can I ask you a big favor?" That sounded stupid, and he looked at me like, great, what? And I asked if I could get a pic with him and my sis and his autograph for her. He wrote out the autograph then started to run off. And I about wanted to grab him and say, uh, DUHHHH, picture sir!!!

Turns out he was off looking for a camera, he goes, "Anyone have the polaroid camera" and I said in my little voice, "I have a-" and he was off somewhere else. Finally turned back to me and said, Oh you have a camera, and I was, like, yes of COURSE!! So we took three pics, two of him and my sister, and one of him, his dog Blue (LOVE that dog!!!), and her.

After lunch we were just sitting there on the floor not knowing where to be and everyone was going around us and we were probably in the way. But I didn't want to leave of course. Then David walks in and he says, "You ever seen a rainbow?" and my sister and I look up to see him staring down at us (well at my sister) and we all go outside and share an umbrella (;-)]and there's this HUGE rainbow from one end to the other. Sister wasn't amused but pretended to care (hey she's a kid!) but I just thought it was the sweetest thing in the world.

Then later on when the scenes were done for the day DD rushed out. We were able to say bye to GA, but he had gone. We met back up with Tracy, the guy who arranged the trip to the set, and he said, oh, david left, well we'll call. So he called him up. I had to look away while he was dialing just to not be tempted!! DD talked to my sister then to my mom. I guess he asked her if we were coming back on Thursday (this was on a Tues) and when my mom said she would ask Tracy David said, who cares what tracy says? you can come back.

So we did!! Tracy didn't seem thrilled in fact when we got there Thursday (on location at a hospital) he told us to make it quick. Well quick for me was four hours :-) Plus after nearly *every* take of the scene David was out chitchatting with my sister. he paid her *so much* attention I couldn't believe it. And the main exchange he and I had?

D: So, are you *the sister*? (I'm thinking what is that supposed to mean )

me: Uh, yeah.

(My mom was walking up the hallway at that moment)

sister: (pointing) And that's the mother.

We all three looked down the hallway and stared at my mom walking towards us. Bet she about died. But not as bad as when we told David she was fifty and he looked her over from head to toe!! :-) We are evil children, yepyepyep.

Anyway, my sister gave David the Gigapet, and she named it Pickle for him (and last we heard, on the autographed pic of David with my sis, Pickle was fine but "always hungry"). David had fun teasing poor Piper with it (we didn't know she was going to be there and so when she found out we gave David the Gigapet you should've seen the poor kids face! I felt sorry!!) Anyway she about stole it from him but ended up tossing it back at him when the nanny took her to leave.

What else? Well, like I said he talked to us a lot. Despite his *great* memory he couldn't think of the name of my sister's favorite movie (and she and I were at a blank too, must've been nervousness) which is the movie with Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn with the Albino and Dwarf. He was *certain* it was Fletch, and I was, like, no it's not Fletch (he looked at me like *who are you*) and finally *I* was the first to remember it's Foul Play. So that's what my sister got him for his birthday, the movie Foul Play. :-) He also sang HOliday Road to her from the Chevy Chase movie National Lampoon's Vacation. It was cuter than cute!

Gillian though didn't say a whole lot when she'd come out. I really think she's a little bit weary of interupting David and is very respectful of him. She would mainly sit there and they would talk a bit, but my sister would go all shy of course b/c she loves Gillian. And now what does my sister say? She wants to write Gillian a note that says:

Dear Gillian, I would like to meet you again when David is not there so he won't talk so much and steal your wish kid.

Hahahaha. She thought of it herself and I promptly said, um, NO! She appreciates David maybe not as much as I do (he was just great) because it's Gillian that she adores...

Last thing, I wasn't here for this, but when he was leaving for good, my sister and I were still up waiting for Gillian to come out, and my mom was down past the doors sitting outside the elevators. David started talking to her about my sister's disease when he was waiting for the elevator, and when it came he got in and the doors would start to shut and he'd open them to talk to my mom, over and over I guess. He seemed really interested in it.

Anyway that's my David Glorification story. he's not an arrogant jerk, I don't believe it for a minute. he's been wonderful to everyone I"ve heard of that's gone on set. Sometimes I think he gets in trouble for his honesty or his honesty while in a bad mood, but he's great. In my opinion :-) But I'm partial...

-Sarah