Gillian Anderson's wage war: Did 'The X-Files' revival reignite the '90s pay battle?

It's been years since The X-Files sent chills down our spines with its captivating mysteries. While Mulder and Scully's return made us pine for the '90s, Gillian Anderson's shocking revelation about the revival brought forward a glaring issue from the past.

The Wage Controversy Rekindled

The spookiness of The X-Files wasn’t the only thing haunting its sets. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Anderson uncovered a disturbing déjà vu: her initial pay offer for the revival was a mere fraction of David Duchovny's. “They come to me with half of what they want to offer David," she revealed. This disconcerting revelation was eerily reminiscent of Anderson's struggle for wage parity during the show's inception in the '90s.

"I have such a knee-jerk reaction to that stuff," Anderson expressed, recalling the time she was asked to stand behind Duchovny in shots. It's admirable how Anderson’s tenacity and "spunk" led to her eventual stride alongside her co-star. But the bigger triumph was fighting the wage disparity and finally achieving equal pay after three seasons.

"That was then, this is now," she mused about her past battles, only to find history repeating itself.

The Fight Continues: Pay Equality in Hollywood

Despite the countless dialogues on pay inequality in Hollywood, Anderson's revelation highlighted that the journey was far from over. She found it "shocking," especially in an era when conversations around pay disparities were rampant. Anderson's experience serves as a sobering reminder of the hurdles women still face, regardless of their stature.

"It was shocking to me, given all the work that I had done in the past to get us to be paid fairly," Anderson remarked. The resilience she exhibited, not just as a brilliant actress but as a determined advocate for wage justice, is truly commendable.

As we look back today, Gillian Anderson's bold stance not only added to her legacy as the iconic Dana Scully but also as a fierce advocate for equality in Hollywood. Here's to more actors pushing the envelope, challenging norms, and ensuring that such disparities become a thing of the past.

(Several parts of the text in this article, including the title, were generated with the help of an AI tool.)
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