Gillian Anderson has revisited the sacrifices she made at the height of her Hollywood career, reflecting on the toll those choices took on her family. In a conversation with The Sunday Times, the 58-year-old actress, known for her iconic role as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully on “The X-Files,” expressed some regrets about her early years as a mother and how the intense production schedule impacted her family life.
“I have absolutely no regrets in my life,” Anderson initially shared with the outlet, but she then reconsidered. “No, there are a couple of things, in terms of early parenting, that I now would say, I wish I’d thought this through or I wish I’d been less selfish,” she admitted.
At the age of 26, Anderson became a mother when she gave birth to her daughter Piper with her first husband, Clyde Klotz, who was an assistant art director on “The X-Files.” The birth came just over a year after she began filming the popular sci-fi series, during a period when her career was rapidly gaining momentum.
The global success of “The X-Files” led to long days on set for Anderson. After her divorce from Klotz in 1997, Piper split her time between her mother in Los Angeles and her father in Vancouver, attending a French school in both cities to maintain educational consistency. Anderson recalled the challenge this imposed on her daughter, “It was intense for her, with no French in the household, to suddenly be getting a plane every three weeks.”
Anderson worked 17-hour days during the show, feeling she lacked the power to challenge such a demanding schedule despite being a lead star with David Duchovny. She acknowledged that she had leverage she didn’t fully recognize then, saying, “That show couldn’t have done without [me], and so I had leverage that I’m not sure I knew,” she confessed.
In another interview with The Sunday Times, Anderson considered an alternative path where she might have balanced her profession with a more involved parenting presence. “There’s another version of my life where I could have worked less, had a smaller life and been more present as a parent,” she reflected.
After welcoming sons Oscar and Felix with businessman Mark Griffiths, Anderson’s parenting approach evolved. Despite pondering what she might have done differently, she remains a prominent figure in entertainment, with recent roles in “The Crown,” “Sex Education,” and the film “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.”
Nearing 60, Anderson contemplated the idea of slowing down but continues to enjoy her work. “I feel very lucky to still be working,” she shared. Regarding her future, she considered directing and art, yet remains open to what lies ahead, acknowledging, “I’m having so much fun.”