SmartLess

David Duchovny

November 3, 2025

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  • David Duchovny pursued an extensive academic path, majoring in English literature at Princeton and earning a Master's from Yale, intending to become a professor before pivoting to acting. 
  • Duchovny's entry into acting was unconventional, starting with an unscripted role in a play at Yale that involved an inflatable doll, followed by a paid gig in a Michelob commercial. 
  • The process of securing a network television role, like *The X-Files*, historically involved signing a multi-year contract before the final audition, placing actors in a highly leveraged position. 
  • David Duchovny had to re-audition for his role two months after filming the pilot, presenting filmed material in a conference room setting to keep the job, which occurred around 1999. 
  • Duchovny initially viewed television as quantitatively inferior to film, which influenced his early career, but he later developed respect for the cultural power and meaning of *The X-Files* for its fans. 
  • Despite his busy schedule involving acting, writing novels, and making music, Duchovny's primary ambition is to adapt one of his novels into a series, and he does not have a singular, overarching career goal beyond satisfying creative 'itches.' 

Segments

Hosts’ Recent Activities and Compliments
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(00:01:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Jason was compared to Jack Nicholson as a fixture at Dodgers games.
  • Summary: Jason was recently compared to Jack Nicholson for his consistent presence at Dodgers broadcasts. Sean and Will enjoyed attending a game together, noting it was a rare, easy time for them. The hosts joked about the frequency of their recent outings together.
Jason’s Dog Anxiety Discussion
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(00:04:25)
  • Key Takeaway: Will questioned Sean’s need to constantly check if his dog, Ricky, is compatible with other dogs before visiting.
  • Summary: Will questioned Sean about repeatedly asking if his dogs get along with others, specifically regarding bringing Ricky over to Jen’s house. Will expressed frustration with the modern trend of people bringing their dogs everywhere they visit. Sean defended his concern by noting he dislikes leaving Ricky alone for extended periods.
David Duchovny’s Academic Background
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(00:09:02)
  • Key Takeaway: David Duchovny holds a degree from Princeton and a Master’s from Yale in literature, with an unfinished PhD.
  • Summary: Duchovny majored in English literature at Princeton, writing his thesis on Samuel Beckett’s novels, which he chose because it was an open field for research. He received a Mellon Fellowship to pursue a PhD at Yale, intending to become a professor and write novels in his spare time. He has since written five novels and recently released a book of poems.
Duchovny’s Music Career
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(00:12:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Will praised Duchovny’s music, noting his albums are genuinely good and not just a celebrity side project.
  • Summary: Duchovny has released multiple albums and recently finished a tour, which Will confirmed he listened to and enjoyed. Will specifically highlighted the song “Hell or High Water” as a great track, describing the style as 70s/90s-era rock and roll. Duchovny admitted he is self-taught on guitar and does not play it live because he cannot play the same way twice.
Reading Habits and Family History
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(00:17:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Sean admitted he does not read for pleasure due to a lack of discipline, contrasting with Duchovny’s deep literary background.
  • Summary: Sean expressed envy for the discipline required to read novels, stating he only reads scripts and wishes his parents had tricked him into loving the process. Duchovny shared that his mother’s family valued education as the only way out of being fishmongers in Scotland. Duchovny’s father published his first novel at age 73, establishing a strong family respect for the written word.
Transition to Acting Career
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(00:28:24)
  • Key Takeaway: Duchovny shifted from academic writing to acting because he enjoyed the collaborative, emotional, and team-based nature of theater.
  • Summary: Duchovny began taking classes in Yale’s drama department because writing plays seemed less lonely than writing novels. He enjoyed the teamwork and the “put up or shut up” feeling of acting, which satisfied the emotional side neglected by academia. His first acting experience involved performing a Bukowski story in an SM dungeon using a weighted-down inflatable doll.
Early Acting Jobs and LA Move
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(00:37:41)
  • Key Takeaway: Duchovny’s first paid acting job was a Michelob commercial where he was so nervous he relied on tossing pretzels into his mouth to cope.
  • Summary: After his initial, unpaid stage work, Duchovny’s first paid gig was a Michelob commercial where he struggled with nervousness in front of the camera. A scene in the film New Year’s Day, secured through actress Maggie Wheeler, was crucial for getting an agent in Los Angeles. While in LA, Duchovny lived in a Santa Monica efficiency apartment where he washed dishes in the shower.
The Television Audition Process
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(00:50:02)
  • Key Takeaway: The traditional TV audition process required actors to sign a multi-year contract before the final network audition, removing all leverage if they secured the role.
  • Summary: The process involved agents negotiating a five-year contract for the actor before the final network reading. The actor would sign this contract while still broke, meaning they had no leverage if they were subsequently cast. Will recounted having to re-audition for a role he had already filmed for a pilot, presenting the filmed scene in a conference room to secure his spot.
Re-auditioning for a Role
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(00:54:39)
  • Key Takeaway: David Duchovny was forced to re-audition for a role he had already filmed after the pilot was picked up to series.
  • Summary: After shooting the pilot, Duchovny had to return two months later to re-audition in a conference room, performing a scene while holding up pages he had already filmed. This unusual requirement occurred in 1999, which is also when Will Arnett first met him at an upfront event. Duchovny successfully secured the part again after imitating his previous performance.
X-Files Success and Vancouver Life
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(00:55:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Duchovny was not initially a science fiction fan, and relocating to Vancouver for The X-Files provided an isolating, educational environment away from LA pressures.
  • Summary: Duchovny confirmed he was not a sci-fi fan before or during The X-Files, which became a massive global hit, peaking in perceived general awareness around its third year. He enjoyed relocating to Vancouver because he lacked roots in LA, allowing the cast to focus purely on the demanding 14-hour workdays that served as his acting education. The distance from Los Angeles helped cut off the cast from external industry ‘heat.’
Career Ambitions and Time Management
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(00:57:16)
  • Key Takeaway: Duchovny’s greatest current ambition is adapting one of his novels into a series, prioritizing creative ‘itches’ over fixed long-term goals.
  • Summary: Duchovny admitted to having a long-standing bias toward film over television, stemming from the perceived difference in acting quality in older TV shows. Songwriting can occur anytime, but writing a novel requires intense, focused eight-hour days that halt other work like acting or directing. He does not have a singular loud goal, but rather seeks to satisfy lifelong creative urges, including making a series from one of his novels.
New Project and Fan Responsibility
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(00:59:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Duchovny has a new series called Malice airing on Amazon in November, and he accepts the responsibility of representing the cultural impact of The X-Files to its dedicated fanbase.
  • Summary: The new series, Malice, is set to premiere on Amazon in November. Duchovny discussed the feeling of being the ‘caretaker’ for The X-Files, noting that while he once wanted to move past the role, he now respects the show’s power and meaning for people. He concluded that being an ‘asshole’ by not respecting that connection would be a disservice to the fans who felt something through the character.
Extraterrestrial Beliefs and Ship of Fools
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(01:03:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Duchovny believes the existence of extraterrestrials is statistically probable due to the vastness of the universe, and he theorized alien abduction phenomena might relate to a ‘ship of fools’ concept.
  • Summary: Duchovny stated he never learned anything concrete about aliens from The X-Files, but mathematically, the odds favor extraterrestrial life existing among the countless galaxies. He suggested aliens might exist around us, perhaps in the space between space or dark matter, undetectable by current human technology. He humorously proposed that alien probing might be a galactic version of the historical ‘ship of fools,’ where civilizations send their deviants and dentists away.
Downtime Activities and Sports Fandom
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(01:06:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Duchovny claims to be bad with hobbies, spending downtime watching reality TV like Love Island and supporting the New York Knicks despite living in LA.
  • Summary: When not working on creative projects, Duchovny admits he lacks hobbies, though he does watch television, including Love Island, despite its excessive runtime. He is a dedicated fan of the New York Knicks because he grew up in New York, even though he currently resides in Los Angeles. He wrote and directed an X-Files episode called ‘The Unnatural’ which centers on baseball.
Duchovny’s Academic Background
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(01:12:03)
  • Key Takeaway: David Duchovny possesses a highly accomplished academic background, having graduated high school early, attended Princeton and Yale, and earned a Master’s in English Literature while working on a PhD.
  • Summary: The hosts noted Duchovny’s high level of intelligence and confidence, contrasting it with Jason Bateman’s lack of knowledge about his background. Duchovny began acting lessons while pursuing his PhD, which his parents likely viewed as disappointing after his academic success. His career path included landing a role involving a blow-up doll early on, which was apparently a source of parental disappointment.