David Duchovny talks new record, his feelings on ‘X-Files’ script

Whether you remember him as FBI agent Mulder from “The X-Files” or the womanizing novelist Hank Moody on “Californication,” David Duchovny wants you to know him as something else: The 54-year-old actor recently released his first album, “Hell or Highwater.”

The actor-director claims he never set out to pursue a career in music. He credits his children for sending him in a new direction.

“I’m always telling them to try new things, but … I don’t try new things,” he said.

So he took his own advice: He learned to play guitar and began writing and playing his own songs.

Recently, Duchovny sat down with the Associated Press to talk about the album, which was released last week, and “The X-Files” sequel that Fox will roll out in January.

Q: Revisiting “X-Files,” what’s it like getting back into that?

A: I actually just got the first script and found it was a very oddly emotional moment. I scrolled down on the script, I saw the name Mulder and dialogue underneath it; I actually started to tear up. I didn’t expect that at all.

Q: Tell me about the fandom of playing Mulder?

A: In this decade I’ve done a lot of other work and I feel like that will always be the most popular thing I’ll ever do … so that’s OK with me. I realize that there’s something that comes with that: you’ll always be that guy in some way. But personally, I no longer have any anxiety about being typecast or being remembered that way because I feel fulfilled in stuff that I’ve done.

Q: What gave you the courage to do an album?

A: I feel like I reached an age in my life where I don’t necessarily want to listen to the naysayers. I learned how to play guitar four or five years ago by myself. The project then was to just play guitar enough so that I could amuse myself alone. … Then I just thought, why can’t I come up with a melody, or two, or 12.

Q: Who inspired you to record?

A: The actual inspiration of the whole thing was really my kids. … I tell them about skills, about life skills about anything you’re going to do. So I thought, well, what about the guitar. I’ll learn how to play the guitar in front of them. They can watch me struggle and be very poor at something and keep going.

This story was originally published May 15, 2015 at 3:34 PM with the headline "David Duchovny talks new record, his feelings on ‘X-Files’ script."