David Duchovny on His The X-Files Rituals and Why Aquarius Is Prime for Binging

An album, a novel and a new TV show all within a few months? Plus a major show revival? Talk about busy

By Chris Harnick May 27, 2015 6:30 PMTags
David Duchovny, AquariusVivian Zink/NBC

David Duchovny is having a moment, for lack of a better term. The Golden Globe-winning star is returning to TV with Aquarius, NBC's splashy new drama set in the sensational 1960s, his first album, Hell or Highwater, dropped this May and his first book, Holy Cow: A Modern-Day Dairy Tale, came out this past February. Oh, he's also returning to the role that made him a household name, suiting up once again as Fox Mulder in The X-Files for six episodes on Fox this coming January.

Yeah, a moment is kind of an understatement. So is he crazed?

"Oddly enough, not really," he told E! News at the NBC Upfront. "These things, I did a while ago." Just don't ask the Emmy nominee to pick between singing, acting or writing.

"If I'm forced to choose, I don't know that I could," he said. "But I hope that I don't have to choose."

In NBC's Aquarius, Duchovny's got a badge and a gun once again as Los Angeles police sergeant Sam Hodiak. In the show, Duchovny's character investigates a missing persons case that, unknown to him, will lead him to Charles Manson. But Duchovny, who recently spent seven seasons as Hank Moody on the Showtime comedy Californication, said he had no hesitation in playing Sam Hodiak, an officer of the law.

"No, because I never really thought of Mulder as like a true FBI agent," Duchovny said with a smile. "He was like the worst FBI agent of all time. He never solved a case. This to me was like the real, first, straight-ahead law enforcement guy."

Vivian Zink/NBC

With Aquarius, NBC is doing something new and releasing all episodes at once following the Thursday, May 28 two-hour premiere. The episodes will be available online and on-demand. Duchovny, who is quick to admit he is "not a real tech guy," said it's a smart move. "I think our show lends itself to binge-viewing because you don't get one-hour and it wraps up and the next hour wraps up," he said. "It's a 13-hour arc in a show with many strands, so I think it's smart because you might enjoy it more if you watch a few at a time."

As for the "worst FBI agent of all time," Fox Mulder, Duchovny slips back into that character this June with a January 24, 2016 release date planned. The series is shooting in Canada. Duchovny has played the character on and off opposite Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully since the show debuted in 1993, but isn't quite sure how he'll get back into character this time around.

Fox

"I don't know, that's a good question. I should probably think about that. I've got four weeks now," he said in mid-May. "Sometimes I think I'll put on the suit and I'll feel that way or I'll look in the mirror or I'll see Gillian—we'll see."

Aquarius premieres Thursday, May 28 at 9 p.m. on NBC.

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)