Gillian Anderson has been adamant over the years about not being part of any reboot of "The X-Files," but now she's leaving the door slightly open for the return of agent Dana Scully.
The star of the new Netflix movie "Scoop" is admittedly intrigued by the possible involvement of "Black Panther" and "Creed" director Ryan Coogler in a potential reboot of the iconic '90s series. Talk of Coogler developing a reboot began a year ago.
"It’s so funny because for most of my life since I finished 'The X-Files,' every interview I do, people have asked, and the answer has always been, ‘Nope, not going to happen,'" Anderson told Savannah Guthrie on TODAY on April 3.
"Now, Ryan Coogler, who’s the director of ‘Black Panther,’ brilliant, brilliant director, has approached ('X-Files' creator) Chris Carter to say that he wants to do a take on it. And I cannot think of a better way around for a reboot to happen. I think he’s a bit of a genius."
So does that mean Anderson, 55, will put her dark suit back on as FBI agent Scully to investigate more shadowy cases involving the paranormal?
“There’s a chance it will happen,” she said. “Whether I’m involved in it is a whole other thing. But in his hands — but I’m not saying no — because I think (Coogler) is really cool, and I think if he did it, it would probably be done incredibly well, and maybe I’ll pop in for a little somethin-somethin.”
Anderson originally co-starred with David Duchovny in "The X-Files" from 1993-2002 and also appeared in the 2008 feature film, “The X-Files: I Want to Believe.” She returned to the role for a six-episode season of "The X-Files" in 2016 and for a final 10-episode run in 2018.
She recalled on TODAY what it was like filming the show as a 26-year-old only 10 days after she gave birth to her daughter, Piper, via C-section.
"I think if I didn’t feel so guilty that I got pregnant in the first season that I might have taken better care of myself and been more thoughtful about what I needed and for my best interests at the time," Anderson said. "But I think I was so wrapped up in, ‘I almost got fired, I messed this up, I’ll do whatever they say.’"
She most recently earned a Primetime Emmy Award in 2021 for her role as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the Netflix hit "The Crown."
Anderson is now back in the royal orbit in "Scoop." The feature film portrays how a group of women landed an explosive BBC interview with Britain's Prince Andrew in 2019. The Duke of York gave a rare lengthy interview and responded to questions about his friendship with accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and allegations of sexual misconduct.
Anderson plays BBC journalist Emily Maitlis, who conducted the thorough interview that was soon followed by Andrew stepping back from his public duties after the fallout from his comments.
"She's an incredibly formidable journalist and woman who is in our midst all the time, and the idea of playing somebody that was so familiar and so alive felt incredibly daunting," Anderson said.