Gillian Anderson Says Feeling 'Guilty' Led Her to Return to 'X-Files' 10 Days After Giving Birth Via C-Section

Gillian Anderson is getting candid about her postpartum experience as a working mother. In a new interview on Today, the 55-year-old actress addresses her swift return to the set of The X-Files just 10 days after giving birth to her first child via C-section.

"I think if I didn't feel so guilty that I got pregnant in the first season, that I might have taken better care of myself and been more thoughtful about what I needed," Anderson told Savannah Guthrie on Wednesday. "But I think I was so wrapped up in, 'I almost got fired, I messed up, I'll do whatever they say.'"

She continued, "So, yeah, 10 days after a C-section."

The star welcomed her first child -- daughter Piper, 29 -- in September 1994 with her then-husband, Clyde Klotz. She is also a mom to sons Oscar, 17, and Felix, 15, whom she shares with her former partner, Mark Griffiths.

On the subject of The X-Files, Anderson -- who played Agent Dana Scully on the beloved series alongside David Duchovny's Fox Mulder -- also acknowledges the possibility of a reboot in her conversation with Guthrie.

"For most of my life since I have finished The X-Files, every interview I do people have asked," she admitted. "And the answer has always been, 'Nope, not gonna happen. Not gonna happen.'"

Now, the star says she's changing her tune as Black Panther director Ryan Coogler has approached series creator Chris Carter about taking a crack at the story.

"I cannot think of a better way around for a reboot to happen," Anderson said, hailing Coogler as "a bit of a genius."

As for her own potential involvement, Anderson is "not saying no."

"Whether I am involved in it is a whole other thing," she explained. "I think if he did it, it would probably be done incredibly well and maybe I'll pop in for a little somethin' somethin'."

For now, Anderson is promoting her role in Netflix's Scoop. In the film, Anderson portrays BBC journalist Emily Maitlis, who grills Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell) about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The explosive interview aired in 2019 on Newsnight and the interview had immediate ramifications, as Andrew announced he would step back from royal duties just days after the BBC broadcast the interview.

Scoop comes at a delicate time for the royals as they continue to grapple with Kate Middleton's shocking cancer diagnosis, not to mention King Charles III dealing with his own undisclosed cancer diagnosis, too.

"It's a moment where we understand they have asked for a bit of peace and quiet around what they're experiencing and it feels like that's the least we can do," Anderson recently told ET. "It's a complicated relationship that the royal family has with the press... I think in this instance with this latest double-whammy of news the least that people can do is give them a bit of a break and let the headlines settle down for them, to process this as the human beings that they actually are."

That being said, Scoop is less about Prince Andrew's bombshell interview and more about the valiant women (including editor Esme Wren, portrayed by Romola Garai) who tirelessly worked alongside producer Sam McAlister (Billie Piper) to land the coveted interview.

Scoop, directed by Philip Martin (The Crown), drops April 5 on Netflix.

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