#west Duchovny

[dd-is-my-guiltypleasure]

A LIFE IN THE DAY

David Duchovny: ‘Love can happen at any age, right?

The actor, 63, on The X Files, songwriting and snacking

EKATERINA GERBY

Interview by Helen Cullen

Wednesday January 17 2024, 12.01am GMT, The Sunday Time

Duchovny was born in New York City. He studied English at Princeton University and Yale, before breaking into acting in the late 1980s, starting in TV adverts and working his way up. In 1993 he began playing the role of the FBI agent Fox Mulder in The X Files, which ran for nine years. He later played Hank Moody in Californication. He has also released three folk-rock albums and published five novels — last year he directed a film adaptation of one of these, Bucky F***ing Dent. Duchovny has two grown-up children from his former marriage to the actress Téa Leoni. He lives in California, with his girlfriend, Monique Pendleberry, and his two dogs, Brick and Rookie.

I like to get up at dawn because those are my best thinking and writing hours. I love the sunrise but it also means I can get some work done before the sun gets too much. That’s the best time of day for me. I have a coffee that makes me think I’m brilliant for ten minutes and that’s all I need to get going.

Food to me is just fuel and I don’t have very advanced taste buds. I think everything kind of tastes OK, which people react to with suspicion. For breakfast I like oatmeal — what my Scottish mother called porridge.

If I’m filming I still like an early start, but I shot my recent film What Happens Later, with Meg Ryan, all through the night because we filmed in a regional airport after it closed at 9pm. That’s a bit of a nightmare for me as a morning person, but we developed a great camaraderie from working while the world was asleep. My daughter, West, thought it was great to see a romantic comedy film with people my age, but I don’t think of myself as any age, so I hadn’t thought about that. Love can happen at any age, right?

Everybody wants me to have a hobby, but I’m blessed because I love my work. I’ve been able to branch out into music, writing and directing. With songwriting I can pick up the guitar at any time. If you wait for inspiration to hit, you’ll be sitting on your ass for ever.

I knock off for lunch about 12pm. That’s when I have the one big meal of the day that would be recognisable to other humans as a proper meal — vegetables and a protein such as fish. The rest of the time I snack.

In the afternoon I work out. I love the games I played when I was younger — boxing, tennis and basketball — but as I get older I tend to get hurt doing those, so I’ve found Pilates is best for me. It’s still super hard but the least dangerous.

I live in Malibu and the height of my fame has passed, so it’s not difficult for me to move around any more. It’s a different era now because everybody has a phone, so paparazzi are more a thing of the past. I tend to go to the same places where people are bored of seeing me.

There are always different reasons why fans might stop me — it could be still because of The X Files or Californication. I am very proud of The X Files. I can’t think of another show like it in terms of cultural impact and longevity. I just thought we were making good, goofy TV but Chris Carter, the creator and director, saw what was coming in terms of the culture of conspiracy theories. Gillian Anderson [his co-star] and I went from being unknown to globally recognised in a couple of years. We don’t get to see each other that much as she lives in London, but there’s no one else I can share that with.

West is an actor now too. It wasn’t something that I would have charted out for her because I know how difficult it is, even more so for a woman, but I want her to do something she’s passionate about. There are still dark corners in Hollywood but the pitfalls and dangers are much more upfront.

I do enjoy a party, but I’d rather spend time with friends in the evening. Because I like to get up so early, I go to bed early also. I feel electric light has really f***ed with our sense of mind and body, and that we were made to hide in the cave at night from predators and wake up with the sun, so I try to do that. Constitutionally, I feel like that works for me.

Words of wisdom

Best advice I was given

It doesn’t matter if people laugh; it matters if it feels funny to you

Advice I’d give

There’s no such thing as good advice — you have to come to it on your own

What I wish I’d known

Take a moment to appreciate what you’ve done before worrying about the next thing

What Happens Later is in cinemas now and available to stream in spring. The Reservoir by David Duchovny is out now (Akashic Books £19.95)

×

#david duchovny #2024 #what happens later #txf #meg ryan #mo #malibu #his life now #west duchovny

[scullyblues]

Piper and West 💅

#David Duchovny #gillian anderson #x files #piper maru #west duchovny

[writingmccord]

Happy 25th birthday, West!

#west duchovny #téa leoni

[ladylucck]

just watched PainKiller on Netflix. they better win some awards for that. they need to win awards for that.

#i know people are going to miss it bc of the strike but that was some damn good storytelling. 10s all around #painkiller #painkiller netflix #taylor kitsch #matthew broderick #uzo aduba #west duchovny #tyler ritter #jack mulhern #clark gregg #just watched

[randomfoggytiger]

DD, Craig Ferguson, and Kids

And some extras that build up to their memories.

#txf #but not #DD #Craig Ferguson #edit #vid #interview #hilarious #West Duchovny #Miller Duchovny #little Ferguson child #catchin up on old news

[franknicely]

LINOLEUM (2022) Directed by Colin West

#linoleum #colin west #katelyn nacon #west duchovny

[luckilyiris]

❤️❤️❤️

#téa leoni #west duchovny

[mostunderratedawards]

Most Underrated Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Imelda Staunton in The Crown

Juliette Lewis in Yellowjackets

India Ria Amarteifio in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

Alycia Debnam-Carey in Saint X

West Duchovny in Saint X

Deborah Ayorinde in Riches

#juliette lewis #bridgerton #india ria amarteifio #queen charlotte #saint x #the crown #yellowjackets #riches #amazon #netflix #hulu #showtime #alycia debnam carey #west duchovny #deborah ayorinde #imelda staunton #emmys #actresses #golden globes

[cassandramccord]

west duchovny fundraising for unicef via her instagram story! 🩵🩵🩵

#west duchovny #tell me why this made me so emotional #just west following in téa’s footsteps

[dd-is-my-guiltypleasure]

Miller 🥹

#west Duchovny #miller duchovny #tea leoni #matching tattoos #fishing #cute family #2024

[scullyblues]

Ummm 👀🤔

#gillian anderson #david duchovny #gillovny #x files #piper maru #west duchovny

[unremarkablehouse]

Aww, so cute

From Josh Bonzie’s IG stories

#david duchovny #west duchovny #Bucky Fing Dent #tribeca

[lowcountry-gothic]

Photos from the making of Saint X, by Paloma Alegría. 

Josh Bonzie as Clive “Gogo” Richardson, Terralon Walker as Bery, Alycia Debnam-Carey as Claire Emily Thomas, Jayden Elijah as Edwin Hastie, Sule Thelwell as Desmond, Kenlee Townsend as young Claire, and West Duchovny as Alison Thomas.

#paloma alegría #saint x #clive richardson #claire emily thomas #edwin hastie #alison thomas #josh bonzie #terralon walker #alycia debnam-carey #jayden elijah #sule thelwell #kenlee townsend #west duchovny #tropical #tropical gothic

[roguescaps]

saint x screencaps ( spoiler warning ! )

season one.

available for anyone who wants to use them for edits / graphic making. as always credit is absolutely not required but is super appreciated. the resolution of these screencaps is 1920x1080. folders have been split into episodes for easier downloads.

screencap navigation masterlist. / ko-fi.

#saint x #saintxedit #alycia debnam carey #emily thomas #betsy brandt #mia thomas #west duchovny #alison thomas

[diver5ion]

#saint x #alison thomas #not just a sunbather ;c #west duchovny #// #i hope this show didn't jinx #the warriors tho

[antoschauniverse]

And West and Mo are going to concerts together and dressing up and putting on sparkly eye shadow, just like young single women do! Probably went partying after the concert! Why didn’t DD go? Mo went to Steely Dan with him!

David didn't go because it's silly when a 63-year-old man is hanging out at the youth parties. And David said in an interview that he goes to bed early. By the way, they are two young single women.

And about this party. I'd be careful. The eyes are not only made up, but also look strange. And, if we remember David's loyalty to weed, then this should cause concern among West's parents. At least Tea for sure.

#david duchovny #west duchovny