For David Duchovny, the appeal of his new psychological thriller Malice was its gripping tale of retribution, writes Siobhan Duck
THERE’S no better place to stage the ultimate revenge act than in the Greek Islands, says David Duchovny. The US actor’s psychological thriller Malice was filmed on the island of Paros, and sees the former star of The X-Files playing brash venture capitalist Jamie Tanner, whose perfect family life is white-anted by their new “manny”, Adam (British actor and comedian Jack Whitehall). What Adam has against the Tanners, and the disturbing lengths to which he will go to wreak havoc on their lives, slowly plays out over the six- episode series.
Not only did Greece provide an enviably picturesque backdrop for the ugliness of Adam’s antics but, as the birthplace of Greek mythology’s goddesses of vengeance, the Furies, the setting felt especially apt.
“Talking about revenge and Greek drama, to be able to go to the origins of Western culture and to see these places that I’ve only ever read about, and to see the places where these myths originated, and to see the place where drama originated – as an actor, it was all very impactful on a conscious and unconscious level for me,” Duchovny says.
While many may well heed the warning that “revenge is a dish best served cold”, screenwriters still find it a hot topic for delicious drama. And the reason is its relatability, says Duchovny.
“It’s just something in human nature that wants justice, right?” Duchovny suggests nonchalantly. “We want to see justice served, and we like poetic justice, don’t we? We like people to be punished in the way that they’ve transgressed, as well. So I think it just goes back to our roots.”
While the 65-year-old actor has made a career out of playing confident renegades – the most famous being Fox Mulder across 11 seasons and two films of The X-Files, and self- destructive writer Hank Moody in the 2007 to 2014 drama series Californication – he insists he’s far less sure of himself in real life, and nothing like his character, Jamie.
“He’s very certain of his philosophy of life – and of his life. I’m always kind of shocked at people that have that kind of certainty,” he says. “I thought:
Oh, because I don’t have it personally, I’d like to try to live in those shoes for a bit; that must be nice. I’d like to try to live a life where I thought all my decisions were correct, and my way of raising my kids was correct, and my way of doing business was correct.
“And then, over the course of the show, everything gets punctured,” he explains of
Jamie’s story arc. “I thought taking him from that certainty to uncertainty would be fun.”
While Duchovny’s signature schtick has been keeping a poker face even when his characters are in outrageous situations, Malice shows him taking clear pleasure in exploring the cracks in that facade.
“I wouldn’t say that I’m really great at sprouting tears on cue, but I can get to that point,” he says of the more emotional scenes.
“You have your secrets as an actor that you call upon to get you in a certain frame of mind that you think is appropriate for the scene. But there’s no telling whether that’s going to work on the day. And also, things that used to affect me in a certain way no longer affect me in the same way.”
While he prefers to keep his emotional triggers private, Duchovny says there’s one particularly traditional go-to for many actors: “People do tend to cry easily over their pets.”
Having written four novels, a novella, a graphic novel and a collection of poems, Duchovny says he approaches any acting role with a keen interest in dialogue and story pacing – a little too much so at times.
“I think I can be a bit of a pain in the arse on set,” he admits with a laugh. “[ Malice screenwriter] James Wood would tell you
I worry about things a bit that way. Not in a horrible way.
I just want it to be the best that it can be. I’m not trying to be a contrarian.”
Duchovny has always railed against being pigeonholed. It’s one of the reasons he chose to end his time as a series regular after the seventh season of
The X-Files. It’s also why he’s branched into making music and recording podcasts. But rather than seeing himself as a Renaissance man, Duchovny says his many and varied pursuits can be attributed to a restless personality.
“I’m never quite satisfied,” he explains. “And I don’t mean that in a perfectionist way. I’m just always looking for different modes of expression, different ways of getting at creativity, because the medium or the instrument that you’re using – whether it’s as an actor or you’re writing or you’re directing, or
[it’s a] conversation as a podcast or music – is going to change what you’re saying, it’s going to change what comes out. And I’m endlessly fascinated in that.”
MALICE
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