David Duchovny talks about “discovering” Angelina Jolie in new interview while promoting his new podcast Fail better.
Jolie had starred in a few low-budget films, short films and music videos before her first leading role in 1995’s Hackers.
After roles in Without Evidence, Love Is All There Is, Foxfire, Mojave Moon and the George Wallace miniseries, she starred alongside Duchovny in Playing God in 1997.
The actor, who spoke openly about working too much when his children were young, was asked if he wanted to star opposite the then-little-known Jolie in Playing God. Sirius XM’s Radio Andywhere Duchovny spoke about the audition.
Host Andy Cohen began naming several of Duchovny’s co-stars and asked him to say the first thing that came to mind when he heard their names.
David Duchovny Talks About ‘Discovering’ Angelina Jolie In New Interview While Promoting His New Podcast Fail Better
After roles in Without Evidence, Love Is All There Is, Foxfire, Mojave Moon and the George Wallace miniseries, he starred with Duchovny in 1997’s Playing God.
The actor was asked about starring alongside the then-little-known Jolie in Playing God on Sirius XM’s Radio Andy, where Duchovny opened up about the audition.
When Cohen mentioned Jolie, 49, Duchovny said, “I feel like I discovered Angelina Jolie,” which surprised Cohen.
“Yes, I was at the casting… I was part of the casting… I didn’t discover her, but she walked in and I knew she was a movie star,” Duchovny explained.
“I told everyone, ‘We have to cast her,'” Duchovny added, and they took his advice, with Jolie playing Claire.
The role marked Duchovny’s first starring role after his monumental success on Fox’s The X-Files television series.
The story followed his character, Dr. Eugene Sands, a once-prominent surgeon who had his medical license revoked after it was discovered that he was operating under the influence of illegal drugs.
After saving someone’s life in a bar, he is hired by a crime lord (Timothy Hutton) as his personal doctor to heal his men when they are injured and can’t get to the hospital.
Jolie plays Claire, the crime lord’s girlfriend, who eventually becomes romantically involved with Dr. Sands.
The film opened with just $1.9 million and grossed just $4.1 million during its brief run at the box office.
When Cohen mentioned Jolie, 49, Duchovny said, “I feel like I’ve discovered Angelina Jolie,” which surprised Cohen.
“Yes, I was casting… I was part of the casting… I didn’t discover her, but she came and I knew she was a movie star,” Duchovny explained.
She met her next husband, Brad Pitt, just a few years later, when they began filming the 2005 husband-and-wife assassination movie, Mr. And Mrs. Smith.
Jolie went on to work on Pushing Tin (where she met ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton), Gia, Hell’s Kitchen and The Bone Collector before her Oscar-nominated role in Girl, Interrupted alongside Winona Ryder.
She catapulted to worldwide fame by playing the title character in the 2001 video game adaptation of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
She met her next husband, Brad Pitt, just a few years later, when they began filming the 2005 killer husband-wife film Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
Duchovny launched her podcast Fail Better on May 7 and has featured guests such as Bette Midler, Sarah Silverman, Sean Penn and Tony Hawk.
