Begin forwarded message:
From: "sean sean" <xfilenews@gmail.com>
Date: March 19, 2008 5:42:36 AM PDT
To: "Big Light Productions" <questions@biglight.com>
Subject: Re: request for interview with Frank
So here goes...
THE MOVIE:
Penny. U.S.A asks: A question that comes up repeatedly regarding the show and now the movie is do you think that as questing heroes, Mulder and Scully are fated to an unhappy life, or a tragic life, or are they bound to triumph in the end?
What an interesting question! It really speaks to how you feel about life – whether you have a tragic view of what it means to be alive. I think we’re all fated to struggle and suffer -- clearly, for Mulder and Scully that takes place on a heightened scale because these stories deal with the supernatural. But I don’t think their lives are fated to be unhappy or tragic. I think it’s in our struggles that we all find satisfaction and – sometimes -- contentment.
XFN: Do you sometimes think you have a different perspective of the show than the fans do?
I relate to the show and the characters in a very personal way. Chris and I both try to express deep feelings (and sometimes big ideas) through these characters. Our perspectives are different from each other, and can’t help but be different from those of the fans (just as I’m sure each fan’s perspective is unique in its own way, too). But it does matter to me what the fans think, and I’ve learned a lot by listening to them and reflecting on their various thoughts about the characters and stories.
Henry, Cardiff, Wales asks: Frank can you clear up a long standing urban myth that has fuelled many a discussion between fans? In season
7's last episode 'Requiem' it is alleged that due to the fact that it was written as though it were possibly the last episode of the entire series you filmed a kiss scene between Mulder and Scully in the FBI corridor immediately before Mulder leaves for the woods. Can you clear this up for us?
I’ve heard this rumor, but – unless my memory’s worse than I think -- it’s not true. We didn’t want to do anything to tip off the cliffhanger that Scully was pregnant. (In fact, we never published that final scene for the crew or the actors, and the script pages were driven to the set near Lake Arrowhead the night before to preserve the surprise.)
YOU:
Stefany, Boston U.S.A asks: Is it true that you were born in Japan? Do you go back on vacation there?
Yes, I was born on an American Army base (my father served in the Medical Corps) and spent the first four years of my life there. I haven’t returned since, but I do hope to go visit someday soon.
XFN: Can you talk to us a little about how it felt to walk out to 5,000 screaming fans at Wondercon? Was it a rock star moment? Were you surprised by the turnout?
It was very strange, especially because we weren’t really doing anything – just standing there. For about five minutes, I knew what it felt like to be one of the Beatles. (Except that I was Ringo!)
XFN: Where do you keep your Golden Globe Award?
They’re on my bookshelf.
XFN: What is the status of a Philosophical Investigation?
It’s in “turnaround,” meaning it’s currently a project without a studio. The script was ordered when Sherry Lansing was president of Paramount, but not completed until Gail Berman held that post. The producer, Mace Neufeld, is still hoping to find a new home for it.
XFN: What is next for Frank Spotnitz?, besides a well deserved vacation?
Ha! Any vacation I take will be a short one. There’s a lot of work I want to do – both on television and in movies. I can’t talk about what I’m going to do yet, but I can assure you I’ll keep busy.