My own comments are usually in parenthesis, and direct quotes from Steven Williams are in quotation marks.

Steven Williams was definitely the most energetic of the guests. Both days he bounded onto the stage full of energy and raring to get to the questions.

Saturday's Questions:

I had a really difficult time hearing some of the questions on Saturday (he was the first speaker and we were getting situated). We ended up in the autograph line, so often-times the conversation going on around us was louder than the person asking the question.

The first question (that I heard) was how he remembers his lines. Williams said that the heart of learning lines is repetition. He made the comment that "I do have some brain cells left -- I was a product of the 60's so there are very few of them now..." but he could still memorize his lines.

The next audience member stood up and yelled that they need to bring X back (prompting much shouting from the audience). I believe Williams said that he should be brought back, although it doesn't matter what show they bring him back to.

Next he was asked how his current project, LA Heat, was doing. Williams replied that LA Heat was an action/adventure/cop series. He also said that it is only aired in the European market. He said that he heard it was doing terrific in Europe, and "I'm huge in Zimbabwe!". He said that there is some talk of making an American series around the LA Heat characters.

The next audience member congratulated Williams on his appearance in "Unusual Suspects" and asked whether or not we would ever see an episode that centered around his relationship with Deep Throat and/or CancerMan. Williams replied that that sounded like an excellent idea to him. Williams then told the guy who asked the question that he should sit down and write that script and send it in.

Which series do you like more, the X-Files or 21 Jump Street?
Williams replied that that was a very hard question to answer because his characters were totally different. He said that Mr. X was far, far darker than Captain Fuller ever was. Williams said that he had been sitting up last night attempting to figure out how many guys Mr. X had "whacked". He basically concluded by saying that he liked them both quite a bit.

Will you adopt me?
Williams pointed at them and said "Boom! You're adopted!".

How do you feel about Chris Carter killing you?
Williams said that Carter called him up and said that X was going to take a bullet. Williams said that you have to expect that when you help Mulder. His advice? "Don't tell Mulder anything!"

The next audience member asked something about why Williams did the advertisements for the (unrelated to the X-Files) alien videos -- was he really hard up? Williams asked him if he believed in aliens or unexplained phenomena. He asked the audience if they would like to have proof. He said there are a lot of unsolved mysteries out there, and these tapes attempted to solve some of them. He explained that it was just another project, a one time deal.

The next guy asked about working on the Blues Brothers movie. I believe Williams said something like he could get arrested for telling us. He said that the movie was filmed sometime around 1980 and was the film with the largest budget at the time in Hollywood (at something like 20 million dollars). Williams said that filming the movie was absolutely wild. He said that the set was star-studded, with James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Twiggy, Carrie Fisher. He said that it was not just people who had parts in the movie, but half of Hollywood would drop by just to hang out. Mohammed Ali would visit from time to time. Williams explained that that was the beginning of the "House of Blues". At the time, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd were so popular that they couldn't go out to party because they would be mobbed, so they bought a place where the cast of the movie and their friends could hang out at night. That's where they developed the concept of the House of Blues. Williams went on to say that it was an absolutely wild, wild time. Williams also said that his part was supposed to take 2 weeks, but it ended up becoming a 6 month job.

The next question was about how Mr. X knew when Mulder wanted to talk to him -- how did he know when Mulder put that X in the window. Williams replied that he always thought that Mr. X lived in a planter somewhere outside Mulder's window. He then said that Mr. X had a network of people working for him, and he probably kept someone stationed in Mulder's neighborhood.

I believe the next person asked Williams how he liked Vancouver. He replied that he loved Vancouver, and that he had filmed 21 Jump Street there too so he was familiar with the city and really liked it.

The next question was something about how he got the role of Mr. X, and something about being one of the few African-American actors on the show (sorry, but I really couldn't hear the questions). Williams said that he was first approached for the role by producer David Nutter and writers Glen Morgan & James Wong, who had all worked together with Williams on 21 Jump Street. At the time, Williams had no idea what the X-Files was. He also said that the producers had no idea what they wanted Mr. X to be like, and he related the story about how the part had originally been cast as a woman, but that she didn't work out in the role. Williams said that he knew the female actor and that she was a really great actor, but somehow she just didn't work in the role. He was brought in and got the role. He then talked about how there aren't many African-American actors on the show, so he was very proud to be on such an excellent show, and proud that he could portray such an excellent character.

The next audience member asked about how Williams approached his X-Files role, and how hard it was to "step-down" into a character as dark as X. Williams replied that he believes that everyone has a dark side, and he got to explore his while playing Mr. X. He asked the audience if everyone believed that they had a dark side, and after everyone yelled he picked out a man in the front row and asked him if the woman sitting next to him was his wife, then asked when was the last time his wife practiced her dark side! He said that Mr. X was a combination of exploring his dark side, his survival instinct, and the good lines written by the show's writers. He then added "In other words, I'm one hell of an actor!".

The next person asked whether or not Mr. X would be appearing in the movie. Williams replied that whenever he gets asked that question, he tells people that when they watch the movie, play "Where's Waldo" and see if you can find Mr. X. (On Sunday he said we may be in for a big surprise, and when the audience stared reacting he said that the surprise just might be that he's not in the movie).

I missed the first part of the next question, but the last part was whether or not Williams was currently single. He replied that he actually was recently single, and sad, and lonely. He then added "and I'll be staying at..." (no, he didn't finish the sentence).

Tell us about the fight scene between Skinner and Skinner.
Williams asked the audience who thought Mr. X won that fight. Lots of audience shouts followed. He then asked who thought Skinner won the fight -- and the response that time was even louder. Williams replied that according to us "I got my butt kicked". Williams went on to explain that the scene was a lot of fun for him because previously he had only gotten to interact with Mulder. During this scene he got to act with both Gillian and Mitch Pileggi. He said that working with Mitch was exciting, especially because they got to figure out the fight scene for themselves. Williams admitted that he actually broke a knuckle during the filming of the fight. Originally a stunt coordinator developed the scene. After they figured out what they were going to do, they didn't have time to film the scene on that particular day. The next day when they came back to film the fight, they had a different stunt coordinator because the original one had gone off to a different job, and the new guy didn't know what had previously been worked out, so Mitch and Stephen got to do it on their own. Williams shared with us the process they went through to determine what they were going to do. He said that they figured that they were two tough guys who were used to getting their way. They were guys who got things done fast. Williams said that his first thought was "I'll just shoot you", because that's what X does. So he would go for his gun, but Skinner would shove him against the wall to keep him from pulling it. So Williams says "Now what do I do? Heat-Butt!" Mitch would then have to respond by showing X that he is just as tough, so he should head-butt him back. Williams then said something like now what, he's been shoved around, he's head-butted and been head-butted back, "and he's got someplace to go", so he goes for his gun and that's it. He was very proud that he and Mitch had worked it out themselves.

How did Mr. X know to contact Mulder in the first place?
Williams explained that Deep Throat had been his mentor. He said that probably Mr. X owed Deep Throat something, and/or Mr. X and Deep Throat had the same agenda, whatever that agenda might be. On Sunday Williams added that Mr. X was a much colder and deadlier version of Deep Throat.

The next question was something about how Williams got started in the business. Williams replied that he was originally selling woman's apparel and clothing. He was spotted by advertising execs and modeling people who told that he had the right look to be a model, so he became a model for a while. From there he started doing commercials, then started doing plays. He related a story about a 3 hour, 3 character play where the lead actor dropped out 2 weeks before the play opened. He was selected to replace the lead character, but only had 2 weeks to prepare (and with only 3 characters he had A LOT of dialogue). He said that he was so proud when he pulled it off that he decided that he should become a full-time actor. When the movie industry came to Chicago (where he lived) he started getting roles in movies.

The next question was about how much ad-libbing goes on during filming, and whether he had been privy to any of Duchovny's famous practical jokes. Williams responded that there really wasn't too much ad-libbing going on because the show is very "specific", with all of the technical jargon and scientific dialogue. Williams said that he had heard that "Mulder" was quite the practical joker, but Williams was usually filming both the X-Files and LA Heat at the same time, so he really just came in, did his lines, and left to film his other show -- he didn't hang around the set too much. He did say "Mulder is hilarious, if you couldn't tell just by looking at him".

The next question probably had something to do with how Mr. X learned to act or how he prepares for a role (sorry, I couldn't hear it at all). Williams replied that he is what he calls a "natural actor". He has never taken acting lessons, although he did participate in some acting workshops. He said that there really is no preparation routine he goes through -- he just reads what's on the page.

I have no idea what the question was here, but it prompted Williams to talk about the scene between himself and Gillian from "Nisei" as Mulder is about to jump onto the train (as seen on the season 3 blooper reel). He said "apparently I irritated her" because she was so into the scene she called him a bleep-bleep-bleep-something-or-another -- "and it just came rolling out of her", then she stepped back and (he then attempted to capture her horrified expression on his own face, causing the audience to laugh madly). He said that she was so in the moment that she shocked herself -- and everyone else. He said that he knew that the scene was on an outtake reel, then he mentioned that there was a Mulder & Scully elevator scene that we should see too. :)

At this point there were so many people talking loudly around me that I couldn't understand what Steven Williams was saying, much less the questions the audience was asking. My husband eventually offered to stay in line while I went out to hear the speakers.

The next question had something to do about Williams working with Morgan & Wong again, and possibly appearing on Millennium. Williams joked that maybe he would do a series that was a spin-off from the X-Files, saying that he is "Mr. X" after all. He said that the series would begin with Mr. X going crazy and killing everyone on the set, then he would have his own show.

The next question concerned what his reaction would be to having his own action figure. Williams responded that when you have something like that you sell your soul along with your likeness -- and that action figures were in the realm of the merchandising department and he doesn't have anything to do with that.

The final question of the day was about his future projects. Williams said that he is currently developing a show that he might be starring in. He wants to do more plays and more producing, directing, and acting... a lot more acting. He wants an Emmy and an Oscar before he moves on.

Sunday's Questions:

After "playing dead" for a little bit and telling us how he hated Mr. X's death with all his heart his heart, he commented on a t-shirt that he had seen a girl wearing the day before. The shirt read "Sometimes you just wanna smack Chris Carter". He then opened the floor to questions.

The first question was about the car wrecks in Blues Brothers. Williams started off by saying that they were very, very lucky that no one got hurt, because a lot of the stunts were driven by extras rather than stunt men. Williams said that he was allowed to do something that most insurance companies would not allow actors to do -- in the scene where they drive through the country club, he is actually riding in the back seat of the car. He had asked the director if he could ride during the stunt and the director had said sure, go ahead. Williams said it was quite dangerous because they weren't strapped in, so he did a lot of sliding around on the seat. Another story about the movie was that it was filming in Chicago, which was known for being a somewhat corrupt city. He said that the movie company had rented a whole fleet of old police cars, but some sergeant had made a mistake and had signed a contract giving them all NEW vehicles. The movie director refused to let them back out of the contract, so Williams said "we destroyed an entire fleet of brand new police cars!". He said that it was awesome, and that the filming was insane and star-studded (you can read more about the star-studded-ness in yesterday's questions).

The next question was another one about whether or not David Duchovny played practical jokes on the set. Williams replied that David is a jokester, but that he (Williams) wasn't on the set that much (again, see yesterday's session), then added "No one played any tricks on X -- they knew better -- I'd whack them!".

The next audience member suggested that Mr. X come back from the dead and be Mulder's ghost informant. Williams yelled for Paul Rabwin and said that we have yet another script idea. He then said that he likes any idea that brings X back.

The same guy that asked Mitch Pileggi about his action figure asked Williams how he would feel about having his own action figure. Williams replied that he would get one, and that he think's it would be awfully cool and a great tribute.

Is Mr. X really dead?
Williams thinks that X was smarter than to allow himself to get killed in that manner (me too). Williams then suggested that maybe X knew that the consortium was on his trail, so he sent in a clone of himself and/or somehow staged his own death.

What is your favorite episode?
Williams said that his favorite episode was probably his very first episode (or series of episodes) because he had no idea what was going on yet -- "but all of a sudden I was in the middle of one of the most phenomenal shows on television". He said he loved the intense scene in "One Breath" where you see the shadow of him shooting a man in the head. He also loves his first encounter with Mitch Pileggi ("End Game") because he got to interact with someone other than Mulder.

What do you know about the other bad-guy characters on the show?
"The Cigarette Smoking Man? Scum bag!" He talked for a while about the theories on exactly how much control the consortium has over everyone (who wins the Oscar, who becomes President, etc). Williams said that he thinks CSM is an evil, evil man, as well as an empty man (he cited Cancerman's line about seeing presidents die).

What do you think about Krycek?
"Krycek? A snake. A psychotic snake." He said that Krycek has been through an awful lot, and we have no idea who he works for. He then went on to say that nobody knows who anybody works for in this entire series, and that Chris has a lot of surprises in store for us.

Did you really carry David Duchovny away from the train? (in "731")
Williams started off by saying that he really liked that scene because he saved Mulder's life. Mr. X redeemed himself in the eyes of the fans by doing so. He said that he was becoming frustrated because even he didn't really know whether or not Mr. X was good or bad, until that scene. Williams said that the scene was filmed against a green-screen (they had exploded the train elsewhere) and that the close-up was indeed David (or rather DD's rear) for a few steps. For the long, distant shot of Mr. X carrying Mulder away from the train they did use a young double for David. The story behind the kid was that he had just come from Toronto a couple of days earlier, and he was not an actor and was not interested in show business. The producers and location-managers were out on a location scout and spotted the kid in a shopping mall. Williams said that the kid is a dead ringer for David Duchovny, even close up -- "at least his younger brother, if not a twin" (why haven't I found any of those?). They asked the kid to be David's photo double, and the kid agreed. That is who Williams carries from the train in the distant shot, "which is a good thing too 'cause the kid is a hell of a lot lighter than David".

The next 3 questions were all asked on yesterday (how did you get the roll, are you in the movie, what was Deep Throat to Mr. X, etc), so I won't re-write all of the answers here.

Did you talk to Jerry Hardin at all before playing the Mr. X role?
No. He then thought back and added that he still to-this-day has never met Mr. Hardin.

What is Mr. X's motivation to help Mulder?
Williams replied that he believes Mr. X is a wild card. He believes that Mr. X is working for and against all sides. He works with Mulder in an attempt to get information out, but works against him as well. He mentioned the episode "Soft Light" where X tries to swipe the scientist away from Mulder, and "One Breath" where he tries to manipulate Mulder into killing the people he believes were responsible for Scully's condition.

How was your company for breakfast this morning?
This question was asked because on Saturday Williams had auctioned off breakfast with himself to the high bidder (he went for $350). He said that they were really, really cool people. He added that he was thinking about going to work in that guy's profession, because he had spent a lot of money yesterday (he had also spent $1500 for an autographed script and $500 for the chair signed by Nick Lea). Williams said that his breakfast-guest was a computer guy (me too, why don't I have that kind of money?). Williams said that they were very, very nice folks.

A very, very little girl asked him how he got the name Mr. X. Williams explained that they call him X because they don't know who he is.

Mr. X hasn't reacted with Scully very much, is that something you hope to do in the future?
Williams replied that he had interacted with Scully in "End Game" and "Nisei/731". He then added that he was interacting with her the day he got shot, so actually it was interaction with Scully that got him killed. (Now that I think about it, the same can be said for Deep Throat!)

Do you like/watch the show now?
Williams responded that he does watch the show, and that he is catching up on the reruns on FX.

What was the most difficult thing about being on the show?
Williams replied that for him it was logistically difficult because of all the travel involved. He was working on two shows (X-Files and LA Heat) and had to arrange his schedule accordingly. He also said that another difficulty was that the show is so popular and we, the fans, expect so much from them that it is sometimes hard to live up to our expectations. Williams said that working on the show was a lot of hard work, but it was also a lot of fun.

Working on a show that has a lot of guns, how uncomfortable is he with guns and other dangerous props
Williams responded that he was not uncomfortable at all. He said that accidents do happen, but they have great gun-handlers, pyro-technics engineers, and stunt coordinators and he was never worried for his life. He said that LA Heat had gun fights and explosions everywhere. He did say that he was in a scene where he came very close to getting hurt -- it was a scene where some bank robbers were going to create a diversion by setting off an explosion. The stunt coordinator told them that a flame would come through the door and that it would roll away from them. When they set off the explosion the wind suddenly changed and all of the flames came inward to where Williams and other cast members were, literally engulfing them in flames. He said that they were very, very lucky no one was seriously injured. He mentioned another accident where a pyro-technics blew out a large, heavy door that wasn't supposed to blow, and there had been a lot of people standing very close to the door when it blew. He said that he had been tossed by a horse into a river bed full of rocks, breaking his hip. Williams went on to say that sometimes while doing these action-oriented shows your manly-ness flairs up and you want to do stunts that should be done by stunt-men. He said that he did a 3-story high fall that was very exciting. He also said that danger was just part of the job. He mentioned that they did tragically lose a stunt man last year during an 80 foot free fall -- the stunt man missed his air bag (that sounds awful), but that he really doesn't let the danger of the stunts bother him. It is the nature of the business in an action oriented show.

There was another question concerning Williams' personal background. He said that he had been born in Memphis, Tennessee (yay). He grew up in Chicago. He spent a couple of years in the US Army. Upon leaving the army he went to work at the post office (as a mail carrier). He then became an apparel salesman. The rest of his responses were much like yesterday's question, so once again you can re-read it up there.

The next audience member commented that the X-Files was a very "white" show, and wanted to know if Williams had noticed that. Williams commented that he noticed that just by being on the planet. He said that himself and C.C.H. Pounder were probably the only prominent African American actors on the show. Williams said that that was just Hollywood and America in general. He said that he was glad to see plenty of young, black Americans in sit-coms now. He said that he had been speaking with a young lady the night before and she had been saying the same thing about females on the show, both in front of and behind the camera. She had been commenting that there were few females characters other than Scully, and Williams had countered by listing all of the other prominent female characters (Scully's mother and sister, Mulder's mother and sister, Marita Covarrubias).

In the episode "Unusual Suspects", how did Mr. X know about Mulder
Williams said that we must remember that characters like the Cigarette Smoking Man and Mr. X had been in this business for a long time, and that Mulder's dad had been involved as well. Williams said that Mr. X probably did not know that he would find Mulder there, and he did not know what Mulder would eventually become, but he did know Mulder through his father, so he knew to leave him alone.

Did you ever want to be an FBI agent in real life?
No. Williams said that he had a thing against Hoover -- that he kind of bothered him.

I really don't have any idea what the next audience member was attempting to ask. She kept saying something like there wouldn't be many African-Americans on the X-Files because they wouldn't want to participate in that type of show. Steven Williams didn't really seem to understand her either (she kept saying something about not wanting to "hang around" that type of show). Williams finally said that being an African-American has absolutely nothing to do with his acting on the show. He explained that acting is a creative process and about entertainment. He explained that he is an actor and he will not mix his politics with his acting.

Was Mr. X involved in Scully's abduction?
Williams replied that he did not believe that X was involved, but that he did have knowledge of it.

Do you think that people like X and Deep Throat exist in real life?
"Absolutely." He added that some of them may live in our neighborhood, so look out.

How do you get to be a corpse or an extra on the X-Files?
Williams seemed really amused by this question (well, amused that someone would want to play a corpse). Williams explained that there is actually a union of people who work as extras for a living, and that is where they get their extras for the show. He then added that if you want to be an actor you should be an actor, not an extra.

The then said his thank-you's and good-bye's and left the stage.

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Laura Witte
xfiles@lunacynet.com
The X-Files In-Jokes List © 1996-2002
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