April 25, 2005 |
Catching up with David Duchovny
Best known as Special Agent Fox Mulder on cult classic The X-Files (1993-2002), David Duchovny wrote, directed and costars in House of D, with Robin Williams, wife Tea Leoni and Anton Yelchin in the lead role as Duchovny's character at 13. "It's a coming-of-age film about what it is to grow up and how you have to leave certain things behind," says Duchovny, 44. He knows House of D is no blockbuster, but if he draws just a quarter of his X-Files audience, he says, "the movie would be a huge hit." As for his Spanglish spouse's involvement, "Tea just kind of suggested herself for the part," he grins. "She was like, 'Do you think I could play the mom?' I said, 'Of course. You can play whoever you want. You can play Tommy if you want to.' But [working with me] was very nerve-racking for her because she was afraid she was going to screw up my movie. She was like, 'I'm just sitting here thinking I'm going to blow it, and you're never going to get another chance to direct.'" Well, if that happened, there'd always be a home for Duchovny on TV. Would he ever return to the small screen? "Never say never," he offers. "I'd have to feel like there was a show as good as The X-Files, and I honestly don't think that's possible. The X-Files was all about more and more, and TV now is about downsizing and reality shows." Still, Duchovny watches some reality. "I like The Contender. I box, so I'm a fan of the sport. And unlike other reality shows, it's not a subjective outcome. There's clearly a winner and a loser." He also likes The Apprentice and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Next stop: Duchovny costars in the romantic comedy Trust the Man, with Julianne Moore, Billy Crudup and Maggie Gyllenhaal. "I've been doing a lot of writing and developing, too. I have another script that I'm going to direct about a father and son coming to terms with one another before the father dies. It sounds like a downer, but it's actually a comedy called Bucky F---ing Dent. You'll never see that name in print." At least not fully spelled out. |
Idol's Anwar: What's His Secret?
While other American Idol contestants pout and tear up during Simon Cowell's put-downs, braided Jersey boy Anwar Robinson kept a Zenlike (read: kinda boring) calm throughout it all. Did he meditate, drink a lot of green tea, pilfer treats from Paula Abdul's medicine cabinet or what? "[There's] no additives to this," Robinson says. "This is all 100 percent natural. "A lot of it's my upbringing and a lot of it is faith," he continues. "You just know your place. You know where you stand, you know what you're up against and you keep reality at the helm of your perspective." While we're keepin' it real, did Robinson — who's a gospel singer as well as a music teacher — ever turn a critical ear to his own performances? "Most definitely," he says. "On stage while you're doing things, it's kind of hard to be split between the adjudicator and the performer. It's like both are going at the same time. There will come a day when I grow as an artist where I abandon that judgmental mentality." That said, he has no regrets about his song choices or the quality of his performances. "I wouldn't change a thing," he says, noting that "every week we lose another great contestant. You lose a good singer every week because America chose the Top 12. That's how it goes." More importantly, we just have to ask: Was Carrie Underwood's Tuesday hairdo — Simon described her as "Barbie meets The Stepford Wives" — as scary as it looked on TV? "Carrie's hair was not scary and never has been," Robinson replies. "She's a very beautiful young lady who has the appeal to do many different looks, so it's good for her." Guess he told us. |
Meet Extreme Makeover's New Beefcake
Imagine Bob Vila on a really good hair day, and you get Joel West, the hunky carpenter on ABC's newest Extreme Makeover spin-off, the upcoming Wedding Edition special (May 9 at 10 pm/ET). If West's face (and other assets) look familiar, it's because the Iowa farm boy was once among the world's highest-profile male models. In the mid-'90s, his steamy Calvin Klein advertising campaigns had him flashing his rippled abs and microscopic skivvies in magazine ads and on Times Square billboards. Now 30, his hair isn't as thick as it was when Richard Avedon photographed him for Versace all those years ago. But West, who is also an actor, wasn't just hired by ABC to be a pretty face. He actually has some legit carpentry credentials: His father was a foreman at a construction company, and West has been working with tools since he was 10. He's also worked carpentry jobs in the Los Angeles area recently. And as for the wedding part of the show, West himself was hitched in August 2002 to actress Anna Bocci. The couple have a 6-month-old son, Owen. "I was the single guy who was never gonna settle down," he says with a laugh. "But I met the right woman and, hey, now I love going to weddings." |
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