Conan O’Brien interviews actor Gillian Anderson, covering her early life between the US and the UK, her career, and current projects, alongside extended comedic exchanges with O’Brien and the show’s staff. Anderson gives a detailed account of being arrested as a teenager in Grand Rapids, Michigan after breaking into her own high school during a prank, and says she was using “a little crystal meth” at the time. She also reflects on the pressures of sudden fame from The X-Files, saying she “hated it” and describing being followed and photographed by paparazzi, adding that she “pointed” her car at photographers on multiple occasions.
On the craft of The X-Files, Anderson recalls creator Chris Carter emphasising a visual formatting rule for dialogue (“no widows”), which she says shaped how character speeches appeared on the page. Anderson discusses playing Margaret Thatcher in The Crown, describing her preparation process and the value of private-looking footage where Thatcher appeared unaware the camera was rolling. She also speaks about anxiety around memorisation for stage work.
The conversation turns to Anderson’s publishing project collecting anonymous letters about women’s sexual fantasies (including a forthcoming follow-up), which she says was partly motivated by questions about pornography’s ubiquity and what she calls a “collective addiction” to it. She recounts an anecdote from a live reading event in which a contributor introduced a “new partner” she had previously fantasised about in her submitted letter. The episode includes commercial reads and a comic “friendship quiz” segment with O’Brien’s assistant Sona Movsesian.
Anderson says she did not enjoy the level of attention that came with The X-Files, describing being followed and photographed in public places. She says the show’s early production base in Vancouver reduced that pressure, and adds she “pointed” her car at paparazzi on multiple occasions when angry about harassment.
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