Gillian Anderson Reflects on Career Sacrifices, Says Early Parenting Choices Were ‘Selfish’

Gillian Anderson is reconsidering the personal costs that accompanied her rise to fame in Hollywood, particularly regarding the time she devoted to motherhood during her early career. The 58-year-old performer, best known for her iconic role as FBI Agent Dana Scully on the hit Fox series “The X-Files,” has opened up in interviews about regretting certain parenting decisions made when her professional obligations were at their most demanding.

Anderson became pregnant at 26 and gave birth to her daughter Piper just over a year after joining the cast of “The X-Files,” which quickly became a global sensation. The show’s intense production schedule required her to work extended hours on set in Los Angeles while navigating the responsibilities of single parenthood following her 1997 divorce from the show’s assistant art director Clyde Klotz.

To maintain educational continuity for Piper, Anderson arranged for her daughter to attend a French lycée in both Los Angeles and Vancouver, where her father resided. The arrangement required the young girl to travel between cities every three weeks—a situation Anderson now acknowledges placed significant strain on a child. “It’s a lot to ask of a six-year-old,” Anderson reflected to The Sunday Times.

Despite being one of television’s two central stars alongside David Duchovny, Anderson said she felt unable to negotiate the grueling 17-hour workdays that defined her role on the series. She told the outlet that she possessed leverage with producers that she failed to recognize or utilize at the time. “That show couldn’t have done without [me], and so I had leverage that I’m not sure I knew,” Anderson said.

Anderson noted that a different version of her life could have existed had she chosen to work less, maintain a smaller household, and prioritize maternal presence. She later adjusted her approach to work-life balance when she had sons Oscar and Felix with businessman Mark Griffiths, though she has continued to work steadily throughout her career.

Now approaching 60, Anderson maintains an active professional schedule that includes recent roles in “The Crown,” “Sex Education,” and “The Salt Path,” as well as an appearance in Jane Schoenbrun’s “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” which premiered at Cannes. She told The Sunday Times that she continues to feel fortunate to remain employed in her field and is reconsidering earlier plans to redirect her energy toward directing and creating art.