The X-Files Set Too Realistic For Gillian Anderson
The X-Files had many incredible sets, and they helped to make the show’s craziest stories seem that much more realistic. On one occasion, though, a particular set ended up being a little too realistic for series star Gillian Anderson. Regarding the Arctic base built for the episode “Ice,” she later described how the set really did feel like a “bunker” which made the actors feel like they really were in Alaska, especially because of the cold.
The X-Files, On Ice!
For X-Files fans to understand what Gillian Anderson was talking about, we need to first recap the episode. “Ice” is the episode that cribs heavily from John Carpenter’s The Thing, with Mulder and Scully investigating an icy outpost and discovering an ancient life form. This life form is capable of possessing people, creating many paranoid scenes, including one where Mulder and Scully point guns at one another, each worried that the other might be secretly infected.
Fortunately for the X-Files cast, this episode’s Arctic complex was designed by Graeme Murray, who had previously worked on The Thing. The expansive set that he created was very much in the spirit of Carpenter’s film, and it helped make this bottle episode feel a little less claustrophobic. All that extra space wasn’t necessarily reassuring to Gillian Anderson, though, who later discussed how surreal the filming of “Ice” really was.
Built Like A Bunker
According to the The X-Files star, “The way the set was built was like a bunker almost.” Gillian Anderson went on to describe how “we felt like we were really in that place, as opposed to many of the sets, which are three-quarters walls.” For better or for worse, the set of “Ice” helped the actors get into the story due to its unique design: “This was the Antarctic,” she said, “for all we knew, that’s where we were shooting.”
Frigid Filming Conditions Weren’t Fabricated
Most of the psychological effects that she is describing were caused by The X-Files set’s design, but the pièce de résistance for Gillian Anderson was caused by the actual shooting location. Summing up her thoughts on the “Ice” set, she emphasized, “it was cold.” This was due to the Molson Brewery studio where they were shooting not having any heating but ended up being the final touch in making the actor feel like she had been whisked away to Alaska.
Intimate Ice Capades
However, while The X-Files star might have felt a bit weird shooting on this set, Gillian Anderson ultimately loved the finished episode. She later said “Ice” is an episode that “will always stick in my mind as being one of our strongest episodes and one which really represented a turning point for us.” Like many of the shippers in the fandom, she also respected how this episode revealed a kind of intimate trust between Mulder and Scully, one that forever changed the series going forward.
A Classic X-Files Episode
While this set design sounds crazy, it’s not the wildest thing The X-Files ever did…for our money, that honor goes to the time producers used 1,600 gallons of red paint to make an abandoned Vancouver quarry look eerily like New Mexico. But we’re glad that it helped Gillian Anderson get in the right frame of mind for this Arctic adventure, and we agree with her assessment that “Ice” is one of the best early episodes. Some fans think it’s a bit too much like The Thing, but we’re glad the show stole from one of Hollywood’s best directors to give us this truly unforgettable descent into paranoia.
