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I Want to Believe

The Story of Gillian Anderson’s “Scully” Box

by Jamie Frevele | 2:28 pm, March 3rd, 2012


At the surprisingly tiny height of 5’2″, Gillian Anderson was a full 10 inches shorter than her X-Files co-star David Duchovny. So, how did the crew save Anderson from having to jump up and down so she wasn’t having some important, expository conversation with Duchovny’s nipples? The answer is an apple box, a common tool used for a lot of television and film actors whose height doesn’t really jibe with other actors in a scene. Generally, they are 8″x20″x12″, but since the height disparity between the X-Files stars was exceptionally great, Anderson’s slightly higher “Scully Box” was measured at about “an apple and a half.” The actress actually referred to it as the “Gilly Box,” and sometimes she would forget she was on it — and then fall off the box during a serious scene.

You’re thinking about how much you miss The X-Files now, aren’t you? So are we. We are not alone.

(via Mental Floss)

Previously in The X-Files

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  • John Wao

    Humphrey Bogart had to do the same thing in Casablanca because of the height difference between him and Ingrid Bergman.

    I remember Brad Pitt saying something about Tom Cruise also having to do something similar during the filming of Interview with a Vampire.

  • Anonymous

    Also with Carrie Fisher/Harrison Ford in Star Wars.

  • Frodo Baggins

    *Reads title, does spit-take.*

    Oh, a literal box. Okay then.

  • http://fempop.com/ Alex Cranz

    I once watched all of Xena because my sister insisted Lawless did all her scenes with O’Connor on a box. This is, in fact, not true.

    Some of the best X-Files bloopers are of Anderson falling off that box.

  • Anonymous

    There’s a smurf joke in there somewhere…

  • http://twitter.com/PeopleAmStupid People Am Stupid

    The Scully box cannot be “an apple and a half”. That would make it 12″ high and make Scully 2″ taller than Mulder. It is more likely a half apple.

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