Entertainment
The X-Files Actor Who Freaked Out David Duchovny By Insisting On Being Naked
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Part of what makes Fox Mulder such a great X-Files character is that he’s cool and collected; the kind of guy who can face down aliens and sewer monsters and still get a few quips in before saving the day. Normally, David Duchovny is just as Zen-like as his Mulder character, but he ended up getting freaked out by one of the show’s greatest guest stars. That star was Doug Hutchison (who played stretchy villain Eugene Tooms), who insisted on playing his climactic scene naked, a decision that spooked Duchovny when he had to act alongside a nude, slime-covered monster man.
Tooms, The Naked Horror
In the climax of the episode “Tooms,” Mulder discovers and confronts the titular villain, who is found hiding, naked and covered in goo, beneath a mall escalator. It wasn’t the writers’ idea to make the villain nude, but Hutchison insisted on stripping down for the final scene because it made more sense for his animalistic character. As showrunner Chris Carter later pointed out, the nudity made that scene much scarier for Duchovny: in his words, “David was very nervous about being in a little tiny confined space with a naked man.”
Much of this info, including Carter’s recollections about Duchovny, comes from the DVD special features of The X-Files Season 1 set. There, the showrunner revealed more of the Mulder actor’s thoughts on acting alongside Hutchison’s naked form. About “Tooms,” he revealed that “the thing that I felt worst about was that David Duchovny was gonna actually have to get into this elevator shaft with this naked, greasy, grimy, sweaty man and to have to…pretend to be afraid of him, which was probably the easy part.”
While Carter initially felt bad about putting his star through this ordeal, he ultimately decided that it was all for the best. The showrunner thought the “little bit of discomfort…added to the scene” in part because Duchovny really “was very nervous about being in a little tiny confined space with a naked man.” However, “it made the scare, the creep, all that more real,” meaning that Duchovny’s fear was shared by just about everyone watching “Tooms” and seeing his (ahem) naked fear.
But while the X-Files showrunner concluded that the nudity was a great idea, the man who originally proposed the idea ended up regretting it. Eugene Tooms actor Doug Hutchison got his wish to perform the scene naked, but he also got something else: the cold. In his words, “I was sick as a dog and naked as a jaybird and had this icy cold slime all over me.”
Continuing, the actor described his discomfort in excruciatingly visceral detail: “I was literally sticking all over everything and everything was sticking to me,” he said. “I had lint in the most preposterous places on my body,” he said before concluding that the entire experience of shooting this scene “was really kind of gross.” While the guest star paints an extremely vivid picture here, much of this isn’t exactly surprising…after all, anyone who had seen the Tooms character naked and covered in goo can easily imagine how much the actor would be sticking to pretty much every surface around him.
This entire tale is very illuminating because it shows how many different creative factors go into making a great X-Files episode. The Tooms character wouldn’t have been naked if the actor hadn’t insisted on it and Chris Carter hadn’t signed off on it; meanwhile, the climactic scene wouldn’t have been effective if Duchovny didn’t get rightly freaked out at his proximity to a naked, slime-covered guy playing a functionally immortal cannibal. It all came together and elevated the episode…but really, what else were you expecting from an episode that turned an escalator into a lethal weapon?
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
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Word
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Excel
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PowerPoint
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Outlook
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OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
Mashable Deals
Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
TRIPE.
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
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Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
