An absolutely stunning Gillian Anderson had no trouble walking down the aisle to accept for Outstanding Actress in a Drama, but when she got to the stairs, it was a different story--she was wrapped so tightly in that baby blue satin she couldn't bend her knees to climb the stairs. But never underestimate a woman who battles aliens--a hop, skip and a jump later, she was onstage.
It's a conspiracy! Crack X-Files agent Gillian Anderson beats favorite Christine Lahti (Chicago Hope) for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. An, er, interesting acceptance speech by Diva Anderson. She starts by kissing up to presenter Helen Mirren (Prime Suspect). (More on Mirren in a sec.) Then she offers words of gratitude to all the Little People who made such an honor possible. "I need to thank my family," Anderson says, presumably not including the husband she dumped in the past year. Anderson then tells a joke (she says) about how she wishes she could shake her loved ones and tell them, "Don't you know who I am!?!?" (Reaction shot of X-Files costar David Duchovny not laughing.)
Gillian Anderson of "The X-Files" won best actress in a drama series for her portrayal of an FBI agent who questions her partner's beliefs in otherworldly events.
The offbeat Fox network drama has grown steadily in popularity and ratings, and has triggered a wave of knock-offs on rival networks.
Anderson thanked her family for being so normal about her new celebrity, then joked: "I want to shake them and say, 'Don't you know who I am?'"
Television's top-rated program, "ER," went into the evening with the most nominations but failed to receive a single award in the primetime ceremony. The medical drama had won three technical trophies in a non-televised ceremony last weekend.
Gillian Anderson, winner for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama, wore a gown that matched her demeanor: icy. The red-head also sported a green Gucci wrap. Characteristically nonplused by the existence of life and photographers on the planet, she stared into the sky when the cameras clicked. Perhaps she is really a pagan who fears that her soul will be captured by the Kodachrome. Or maybe she was just composing lyrics for her next stream-of-consciousness techno album.
Gillian Anderson, Outstanding Lead Actress on a Drama. Former punk rocker Gillian Anderson, who used to write poems about her Iguana in her high school newspaper, lit up the stage with her silver gown, green wrap and firy hair. This is Anderson's second nomination in the category and her first win.
Anderson, who topped Roma Downey, Christine Lahti, Julianna Margulies and Sherry Stringfield for Lead Actress Awards, became most animated when discussing her Gucci shawl. Even more so than when asked about the "X-Files" feature film, due in theatres next summer.
She assures us that her excitement will grow as the release date approaches. "It's such a long way off, it's hard to have a great deal of enthusiasm for it now."
What's up for next season? She won't comment on Mulder's death and whether or not he'll come back and if so, how? -- which are the burning questions surrounding next season. She does know that "We are going to be dealing with Scully's cancer and more conspiracy stuff."
She credits the internet for support and the success of the show. "I thank you," she says to the internet audience, "because there's so much support it seems on the internet, fans of the show, individually and for all of us. It's been a very, very strong community that has backed us from the beginning. I'm aware of that and I appreciate it."
Anderson reveals that "The X-Files" is "on contract for more seasons than this one," and thinks the scripts for the show get "better and better and I think the filming gets tighter and tighter and stronger and stronger."