'I almost got fired': Gillian Anderson opens up about returning to shoot The X-Files 10 days after giving birth

The X-Files actress Gillian Anderson recently appeared for an interview with Today. She spoke about her experience of going back to work just a little over a week after giving birth, back when she was only 24 years old.

On Today's April 3 episode, Anderson said:

"But I think I was so wrapped up in, 'I almost got fired, I’ll mess this up, I’ll do whatever they say.' So yeah, 10 days after a C-section."

The 55-year-old actress, who also denied having any interest in being a part of a reboot of The X-Files, also said that she is 'not saying no to it' if it's led by Black Panther director Ryan Coogler.

Gillian appeared on the show to talk about her upcoming project Scoop, set to release on April 5, 2024 on Netflix.

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Gillian Anderson opens up about her decision to join work soon after her delivery during the first season shooting of The X-Files

During the episode, Gillian Anderson spoke to Savannah Guthrie about her upcoming film and her work life. Anderson, who now is also a mother of three children - Piper (29), Oscar (17), and Felix (15) - spoke about the time when she was pregnant with her oldest one back in 1994.

Anderson said:

"If I didn’t feel so guilty that I got pregnant in the first season, I might have taken better care of myself and been more thoughtful about what I needed for my best interest at the time."

Anderson mentioned she had a C-section to give birth to her daughter Piper, and after a short break of just 10 days, she went back to the sets. In the further interview, Guthrie stated how Gillian Anderson has become an advocate for 'women and self-acceptance.'

The Mighty Celt actress responded by saying:

"I mean, I've got a book of letters, and we put a call out international around the world for women to write in their sexual fantasies in a way the My Secret Garden was in the 70s."

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Anderson spoke about her new movie and her appearance in a possible The X-Files reboot

Gillian Anderson gave details about her upcoming movie Scoop, where she plays the role of Emily Maitlis. The movie is based on the chain of events through which the 2019 BBC television interview of Prince Andrew took place. When Savannah Guthrie asked whether Anderson watched the original interview back then, she replied,

"I think I put it off for a long time because I knew how cringe-worthy it was and eventually really dug into it when I started this project. And yeah, it's jaw dropping."

The award-winning actress also revealed that initially she said no to the role of Emily Maitlis. Gillian said that Maitlis was a widely known name in every other British household. For her, it seemed 'daunting' to play the role of someone so familiar to her.

The X-Files fans might be excited with Gillian Anderson's statement during the interview, where she stated that there is a chance of her being in the reboot of the show. She said,

"Ryan Coogler, who is the director of Black Panther — brilliant, brilliant director — has approached 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."

She added,

"I’m not saying no. I think he’s 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 something something."

Coogler's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, released in 2022, has been a massive success, and has also received five Oscar nominations.