Hey Danny, It's Mulder | The Making of The X-Files

Julie Ng (as Bandersnatch Pictures) is the person behind the behind-the-scenes features on The X-Files seasons 10 and 11 box sets. Julie was on set for the revival seasons, filming the production and interviewing cast and crew to capture the creative process. She also incorporated archive footage to tell stories about the cultural impact of The X-Files, how production has evolved, and what it meant to return to Vancouver for filming. Julie has produced features for the Fargo series and The Running Man (2025). She was the onset videographer for Star Trek Discovery, and produced a 30 min documentary for the international release of Zodiac. As part of my behind-the-scenes podcast, I spoke to Julie about the behind-the-scenes or her behind-the-scenes documentaries. Hosted by Shaun O'Boyle.Script voiced by ⁠Maurice JK⁠.Episode notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠heydannyitsmulder.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Zabriskie⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, under ⁠⁠⁠CC BY 3.0⁠⁠⁠ Attribution 3.0 Unported, no modifications.

Chris Carter created the greatest television series of all time (this is my podcast, I can say this). He is a producer, director and writer, and in 1993 he introduced the world to Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, and The X-Files. The X-Files (so far) has spanned 218 episodes, 11 seasons, and two movies; and I have no doubt that there will be more. He also created Millennium, Harsh Realm, and (frankly, brilliant) The Lone Gunmen (along with Vince Gilligan, John Shiban, Frank Spotnitz). I got to chat with Chris (!) about his approach to writing the mythology of The X-Files, how science shaped the series, the new Director’s Cut of I Want To Believe, and his upcoming movie with Dori Carter, Queens For A Day. We also spoke about the My Struggle series in seasons 10 and 11, and how they set up the future of The X-Files. Hosted by Shaun O'Boyle.Script voiced by Maurice JK.Episode notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠heydannyitsmulder.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Zabriskie⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, under ⁠⁠⁠CC BY 3.0⁠⁠⁠ Attribution 3.0 Unported, no modifications.

Phil Peters is the producer and designer of The X-Files Game, developed by HyperBole Studios and released by Fox Interactive in 1998 for PC (Windows 95 and Mac OS) and 1999 for Playstation. In this full motion video (FMV) point-and-click adventure, you play as Special Agent Craig Willmore (portrayed brilliantly by the late Jordan Lee Williams), and alongside some of our favourite characters from the series. Phil is now a professor in the Nicholson School of Communication and Media at the University of Central Florida, and he joined me on the podcast to tell me all about how the game was made. I was also joined by my friend Dinara Tengri, author and creator of the Fandom X Archive podcast, a fantastic exploration of the early days of X-Files fandom. Dinara recently played The X-Files Game and shared her perspective on playing it with friends, almost 30 years after its release. Hosted by Shaun O'Boyle.Episode notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠heydannyitsmulder.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Zabriskie⁠⁠⁠⁠, under ⁠⁠⁠CC BY 3.0⁠⁠⁠ Attribution 3.0 Unported, no modifications.

Craig Wrobleski is a cinematographer whose television work includes Fargo, The Twilight Zone, The Umbrella Academy, Wayward, and season 11 of The X-Files. As director of photography on all ten episodes, he shaped the look and feel of the season through camera, lighting, and composition. Craig joined me on the podcast to talk about his creative process, to share stories from the set, and to chat about the iconic X-Files aesthetic.Hosted by Shaun O'Boyle.Episode notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠heydannyitsmulder.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Music by ⁠⁠⁠Chris Zabriskie⁠⁠⁠, under ⁠⁠⁠CC BY 3.0⁠⁠⁠ Attribution 3.0 Unported, no modifications.

Tara Buck is an actor who appeared in The X-Files as Blueberry, in the season 7 episode, Orison. In this sequel to season 2’s Irresistible, Blueberry met Donnie Pfaster at a truck stop diner, before taking a car journey that would seal her fate. Tara also played the iconic character, Ginger, in True Blood, starred alongside fellow X-Files actor Beth Grant in Great Plains, and has appeared in shows like The Orville, Shameless, Criminal Minds, and Prime Suspect. Tara joined me on the podcast to share her experiences of playing Blueberry, and her process as an actor. Hosted by Shaun O'Boyle.Episode notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠heydannyitsmulder.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Music by ⁠⁠⁠Chris Zabriskie⁠⁠⁠, under ⁠⁠⁠CC BY 3.0⁠⁠⁠ Attribution 3.0 Unported, no modifications.

Ken Hawryliw is a props master who worked on the first five seasons of The X-Files, leading the design, fabrication, and sourcing of some of the most iconic props from the show. Ken was also the props master on Millennium, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, and Arrow. Ken also co-wrote The X-Files season 6 episode, Trevor, and appeared as ‘Ken’ in one of my season 5 favourites, Unusual Suspects. For the final episode of 2025, Ken told me stories from his time on The X-Files, and shares his perspectives and insights on creativity, research, and filmmaking. Hosted by Shaun O'Boyle.Episode notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠heydannyitsmulder.com⁠⁠⁠⁠.Music by ⁠⁠⁠Chris Zabriskie⁠⁠⁠, under ⁠⁠⁠CC BY 3.0⁠⁠⁠ Attribution 3.0 Unported, no modifications.

Eleanor Infante is a film and television editor who worked on season 11 of The X-Files. Eleanor edited This, The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat, Rm9sbG93ZXJz, and My Struggle IV; collaborating with directors Glen Morgan, Darin Morgan, and Chris Carter. Eleanor’s editing career has spanned advertising, television and film, and her recent projects include Freakier Friday, Presumed Innocent, The Twilight Zone, and Lore. Eleanor joined me on this episode of Hey Danny, It’s Mulder to share her process and stories from her time on The X-Files.Hosted by Shaun O'Boyle.Episode notes at ⁠⁠⁠heydannyitsmulder.com⁠⁠⁠.Music by ⁠⁠⁠Chris Zabriskie⁠⁠⁠, under ⁠⁠⁠CC BY 3.0⁠⁠⁠ Attribution 3.0 Unported, no modifications.

Dr Anne Simon is a virologist and Professor of Cell Biology and Molecular Biology at the University of Maryland. She was the science advisor on The X-Files since its first season, and literally wrote the book on the science behind the show—The Real Science Behind the X-Files: Microbes, Meteorites, and Mutants. Anne joined me on this episode of Hey Danny, It’s Mulder, to talk about the relationship between science and The X-Files—how real science informed the stories, how the series impacted future scientists, and how so much of that great work is being undone by the recent dismantling of scientific research.Hosted by Shaun O'Boyle.Episode notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠heydannyitsmulder.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Zabriskie⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, under ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CC BY 3.0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Attribution 3.0 Unported, no modifications.

Gabriel Hardman is a comic book writer and artist, and a storyboard artist. His comic book work includes the Hugo-nominated series, Invisible Republic, and the Eisner-nominated, Green Lantern: Earth One Vol. 1. Gabriel has worked as a storyboard artist on films such as Logan, Interstellar, The Dark Knight Rises, and Inception—but one of his earliest film credits was the first X-Files movie, Fight the Future. Gabriel joined me on this episode of Hey Danny, It’s Mulder, to share stories about his work on the film, and insights into his creative process. Hosted by Shaun O'Boyle.Episode notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠heydannyitsmulder.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Zabriskie⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, under ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CC BY 3.0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Attribution 3.0 Unported, no modifications.

Lauren Krattiger and Carly Blake are the filmmakers behind the epic documentary project, The X-Files Fan Retrospective. They have been interviewing cast and crew (around 100 now!) to capture the history of the show, as well as personal stories on what it was like to be part of that history. Lauren and Carly joined me on this episode of Hey Danny, It’s Mulder, to share their own X-Files stories, and to tell us what goes in to creating an epic project like this. Hosted by Shaun O'Boyle.Episode notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠heydannyitsmulder.com⁠⁠⁠⁠.Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Zabriskie⁠⁠⁠⁠, under ⁠⁠⁠⁠CC BY 3.0⁠⁠⁠⁠ Attribution 3.0 Unported, no modifications.