Gillian Anderson complains about her TV X-Files job

Apr 17, 2007, 7:00 GMT

Gillian Anderson -© Scott Alan / Photorazzi

Gillian Anderson claims she was forced to appear in 'The X-Files' television show against her will.

The flame-haired actress claims she didn't enjoying starring in the show that catapulted her to fame and only stayed on the series for nine years because she had to.

Gillian - who played Special Agent Scully in the show - told Stella magazine: "I couldn't get out of it. I didn't have a choice. I had to sign a contract for five-and-a-half-years before I even went to my first audition - when I didn't know if I'd got the part. Back then I was all innocent and I thought, 'Wow that sounds wonderful.'

"But then, when I started, I realised I'd be in a Canadian wood working 16 hours a day for nine months a year. And the reason I stayed so long was because the only way I could get more money was to commit myself to doing it for another couple of years."

Gillian, 38, admits she found her sudden fame very "traumatic" and difficult to cope with.

She added: "When I started on 'The X Files' I had no idea what it would involve. When fans used to ask, as they always did, 'Do you believe in aliens?' I literally had no idea what to say. I used to go, 'Um… could you repeat the question?' I found the whole process incredibly traumatic."

(C) BANG Media International