Entertainment
X-Files’ Coolest Supporting Character Nearly Got A Gender Swap
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Part of why The X-Files got so popular is that it had some of the coolest characters on television. Obviously, Mulder and Scully were awesome, and their engrossing chemistry made this one of the most popular shows of the ‘90s. However, the show had a small army of supporting characters that were equally compelling, including everyone from the quirky Lone Gunmen to the fearsome Cigarette Smoking Man. Arguably, though, nobody had a more fascinating role than Mulder’s informants. In Season 1, Deep Throat provided crucial information about aliens and government conspiracies, but even after he was murdered, it was unclear whose side he was truly on.
After Deep Throat’s death, fans shared Mulder’s concern that he’d never have another informant with juicy insider knowledge. Eventually, however, Deep Throat was replaced by a character known as X (sometimes referred to as “Mr. X”). He quickly became a fan-favorite character thanks to actor Steven Williams, who gave Mulder’s latest insider a volatile and sometimes violent intensity. Looking back, it’s understandably difficult to imagine anybody else playing such an important role. However, the role of this hypermasculine character almost went to a woman named Natalia Nogulich, and you can even watch her acting as X in a deleted scene!
You’re A Mean One, Mr. X
By design, there’s only so much we know about the informant characters in The X-Files. After all, they are supposed to have risen through some very shadowy governmental ranks and know how to hide their secrets from some of the most powerful men in the world. What do we actually know about X? He was one of the men in black (no, really!) and worked for the Cigarette Smoking Man. However, he wasn’t loyal to the evil Syndicate and offered some of their secret information to Mulder. Eventually, they found out he was helping the enemy, and the Syndicate sent the Grey-Haired Man to eliminate him.
The X was technically introduced in the Season 2 episode “The Host,” but he didn’t appear onscreen until two episodes later. In “Sleepless,” he has the first of what would be many clandestine meetings with Agent Mulder. The original script for that episode referred to X as a woman, and Natalia Nogulich was cast in the role and filmed a scene alongside David Duchovny. However, once director Rob Bowman, prolific X-Files writer James Wong, and others sat down to watch the dailies, they decided she was wrong for the role. Interestingly, though, the original scene with Nogulich was included as a bonus feature on the Season 2 DVD set.
See What This Gender Swap Would Look Like
X was recast, and the role was given to veteran character actor Steven Williams. Williams added some welcome intensity to the role, and he had some solid inspiration. He later stated that he modeled his performance after Avery Brooks’ iconic role in Spenser: For Hire. While the actor ended up being a great addition to the show (writer Glen Morgan thought he’d be perfect as a series regular), putting him into “Sleepless” proved to be difficult. Rather than reshooting the entire scene with David Duchovny, Bowman simply filmed Williams’ scenes and edited them into the existing footage. Thanks to some creative close-ups, his addition to the scene was relatively seamless.
Why, though, was X originally written as a woman? X-Files creator Chris Carter thought that he could play with fan expectations by introducing a new female character that Mulder could potentially hook up with. While Nogulich didn’t work out as X, Carter still liked the idea of Mulder having a female informant. Therefore, after X died in Season 3, he was replaced by Marita Covarrubias, a character played by Laurie Holden. Unfortunately, her character was poorly written and often poorly acted, and she is almost universally considered the worst of Mulder’s informants.
Personally, I’ve always thought that X was the greatest informant on The X-Files. This is mostly due to the performance of Steven Williams, an accomplished actor who can supercharge any scene simply by walking in the room. While Natalija Nogulich is a great actor (sci-fi fans will know her best as Admiral Nechayev from Star Trek: The Next Generation), it’s impossible to imagine anyone other than Williams playing Mulder’s second informant. However, the fact that Chris Carter wanted Nogulich to play the role of a potential hook-up while looking like a multiversal variant of Scully is absolutely wild. Forget the truth, Mulder; the Freud is what’s really out there!