Gillian Anderson's The X-Files Hair Explained—Plus the Real Reason for Mulder's Dad Jeans

Yes, Scully's hair isn't very red and yes she knows fans are annoyed

Gillian Anderson understands your feelings about her hair as Dana Scully on The X-Files. However, she doesn't want to go bald.

Photos emerged of Anderson filming with David Duchovny on the streets of Vancouver and of course there was scuttlebutt about her hair. It's strawberry blonde and not fiery red. It's a wig and not her real hair. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

"There's a big dialogue about my f--king hair," she told EW. The Emmy winner said while they filming they were surrounded by hundreds of fans on the street, all of them snapping pictures, sharing and closely analyzing them. That's where the wig revelation came from. "I appreciate their enthusiasm, but goodness me!"

According to Anderson, she was ready and looking forward to becoming a fiery redhead again, but she was warned she may not come out of the process with all her hair. Recent TV gigs including Crisis, Hannibal and The Fall did a number on her locks. While shooting the second season of The Fall, the crossover hit drama costarring Jamie Dornan, Anderson said her hair started falling out. If she dyed her hair red and then back to blonde for The Fall season three, well, there may not be much hair left to work with.

"So yeah, unfortunately, it is a wig," she said of Scully's hair. But it's going to get redder, according to EW. However, it hurts. "I mean, every day, I have a whopping headache. And so I'm paying for that decision. I want all the fans to know that I'm suffering for the red!"

Another X-Files mystery was revealed thanks to EW: Why is Fox Mulder (Duchovny) wearing such crappy jeans?

"Mulder's not in a great place," Duchovny said. "He's wearing bad jeans, so you can just extrapolate from my wardrobe. He's in a dark, dark place."

Phew! So those bad dad jeans are indicative of a state of mind and not just a bad fashion choice. Mystery solved.

Here's what else we know: Joel McHale will be an ally (and maybe a nemesis to Mulder?), Mitch Pileggi is back as Walter Skinner and there will be werewolves of sorts. But don't expect the show to just retread old stories. There are alien conspiracies to expose!

The X-Files returns this January on Fox.