I wonder if Duchovny sees the cumulative error in his actions at the time.
I’m wondering if Duchovny has been able to see that the longevity and profitability of The X-Files could have been improved if he’d been able to see the bigger picture.
I remember when the pay equity dispute with Gillian was happening and he was incredibly dismissive of it as a “women’s lib” thing and that as the star/lead on the show he should rightfully be paid more. Ahem. Leaving that there.
If he’d been able to see that Gillian was just as irreplaceable (if not more so) and had supported her efforts, it would have made them an incredibly powerful bargaining unit. It also would have reduced the negative press that he received for being so flip and assholeish about the whole thing.
They were both open at the time that they were absolutely DONE with the show after season 7. BOTH actors leaving would have truly forced Fox into a position of transitioning the series into movies (at least as far as David and Gillian were concerned).
Instead of taking that approach he seemed intent on getting everything he felt he was owed by Fox and others because his contract forced him to do two years that he didn’t want to do (the various lawsuits, etc…).
Gillian wound up staying on for the rough seasons 8 and 9 to make the money she needed to fund the career opportunities she wanted after the show was over. Had she been paid anything near what David had been, she could have more readily walked away after season 7 as he had.
In his podcast he said that as the star he should have been an ally to Gillian. I wonder if he sees that in the bigger picture it wasn’t just about allyship, it was also about protecting the broader IP so that they could both return to it as wanted/needed.