The Behind-The-Scenes Conflict That Lost X-Files Its Best Character
Aside from the charismatic Mulder and Scully, The X-Files was filled with many great characters, some of whom we lost way too soon. For example, in season one, Mulder gets advice from a memorable shadowy government agent known only as Deep Throat. That X-Files supporting character died before the season was out, and his actor alleges that Deep Throat was killed off due to a behind-the-scenes conflict about making him a main character.
Jerry Hardin
This claim regarding X-Files behind-the-scenes drama comes to us courtesy of Jerry Hardin, the actor who played Deep Throat. According to him, “I was pushing to make the character a regular.”
It’s normal for supporting actors to push for larger roles, but in retrospect, he said “I think they felt they needed to accede to my desires or get rid of me” and decided to get rid of him by killing the character off.
Carter Had A Different Explanation
However, X-Files series creator Chris Carter has his own explanation for why he decided to kill off Deep Throat. He claims that “The character had provided information in a very systematic and predictable way, and I was interested in exploring new ways of Mulder getting his information.”
On paper, this tracks–the ambitious Carter didn’t want to make his cutting-edge show too formulaic, and that meant changing the formula for (among other things) how Mulder gets the info that lets him stay two steps ahead of characters like the Cigarette Smoking Man.
Where Was The Shake-Up?
Looking at the accounts of these two X-Files heavyweights, though, I have to say that it sounds like Hardin was right about why Deep Throat was killed off.
It’s not that I have any special insight into how a possible conflict between him and Carter went down. But when you look at the second season of the show, it’s clear that Carter didn’t shake things up nearly as much as he claimed he wanted to.
Mr. X
As any good X-Files fan will remember, Deep Throat was soon replaced by another shadowy government agent known only as Mr. X (Steven Williams). There were a few surface-level differences between the characters, including the color of their skin.
For the most part, though, the show replaced one spooky government informant with another, which is basically the opposite of giving Mulder a new way of getting his info in a less predictable way.
A Different X-Files
With all that being said, X-Files fans shouldn’t read too much into a conflict between Chris Carter and the man who played Deep Throat. Even if he and Hardin clashed back in the day, they remained on good enough terms for Hardin to make several more appearances in the show via flashbacks and even special visions.
Arguably, this is a major testimony to the quality of both the character and the actor: even after dying, Deep Throat continued to make appearances because he is both important to the narrative and popular among fans.
Still, as an X-Files fas myself, it’s fascinating to think what the show might have been like if Deep Throat had become a main character. Would having such a knowledgeable character as a main part of the cast help Mulder learn more about the government’s conspiracy with aliens as early as season two, or maybe help him untangle the mystery of his sister’s abduction that much sooner?
There’s no way to tell, but one thing is certain: if that happened, the show as we know it would never be the same.
