The X-Files Star Robbie Amell Goes Behind The Scenes Of Pluto TV's Marathon

ScreenRant was among the party, enjoying a paranormal-themed dinner, stargazing activities, and a sneak peek at the off-grid "bunker" where Hottle was to spend the next nine days. While there, Amell sat down for an interview about his time on X-Files seasons 10 and 11, his career as a whole, and his thoughts on Ryan Coogler's upcoming reboot.

Looking Back At Life With The X-Files

ScreenRant: How did that experience on The X-Files change your perspective on the franchise or fandom?

Robbie Amell: It didn't really change. I was so happy to be a part of it. It was one of those things you audition for because you're like, "It's The X-Files!" But you never actually think you'll get it because it's The X-Files. You're like, "This is iconic." It was pretty wild when I got it.

Chris Carter is brilliant and could not have been nicer. He's just wildly intelligent, and he always has everything under control. I've never seen anybody more chill in a very unchill environment, which is what it's like if you've ever made a TV show.

David and Gillian are maybe the most iconic duo in television history. 218 episodes of the biggest sci-fi show ever, and they were super down-to-earth, very kind, and very generous with their time. It was everything you would hope it would be.

ScreenRant: What did you take away from working with icons such as those two?

Robbie Amell: It wasn't The X-Files-specific; it was David and Gillian-specific. To be the leads of a 218-episode massive hit and not have any ego about it, but just to be great people. That's what I took away from it: how impressive it was, and they work very hard. They put their prep work in, and they do an amazing job. But talking to David about work-life balance was really interesting for me.

ScreenRant: Do you have any headcanons for Agent Miller outside of what was onscreen?

Robbie Amell: Chris is so brilliant that anything I would come up with is not going to touch what he has. He was very good about talking to Lauren [Ambrose] and me about our backstory, our history, and our relationship.

Because not a lot of it is onscreen, but it had to feel like it is. The relationship had to feel worn in a little bit, and he was wonderful about that. But when you're working with somebody like that, you take everything he gives you and then make the character, not the other way around.

ScreenRant: Do you have favorite episodes of classic X-Files that you would recommend people stream on Pluto TV?

Robbie Amell: You have to watch the pilot. If you want to go dark, watch "Home." It got pulled off TV for a little while. My favorite episode is "X-Cops", which is X-Files mixed with Cops. It's just a great episode, and there are moments you can see David laughing and really enjoying himself in the episode. I would watch an entire series of X-Cops. I think that would be great. I should talk to Chris Carter. We need to make X-Cops!

Robbie Amell Endorses X-Files Reboot & Reflects On His Career

ScreenRant: Obviously, the reboot is coming, and Ryan Coogler is helming it. What are you most excited about for that? What are you nervous about?

Robbie Amell: I'm not nervous about anything. I'm a huge Ryan Coogler fan. He doesn't miss. For him to get the blessing of Chris Carter, and for Gillian to be talking about how excited she is for it? I mean, great. I'm very excited to see what he does. I have no reservations.

ScreenRant: I’m curious what folks stop you for most or quote back at you most, whether it’s X-Files or something else. Personally, my favorite roles of yours are The DUFF and Firestorm in The Flash, but Upload is amazing too. You have so much to choose from!

Robbie Amell: I like to say that I'm snap-famous. People are like, "I know you from...", and they're waiting for me to finish their sentence. I'm like, "Let's play this game. You know me from...?"

I'm very lucky that I have worked across several genres, and I don't feel like I'm known for one thing. But I get a lot of The Flash. I get a lot of Upload. I get the occasional How I Met Your Mother because people love that show, and I played a weird character on it. Somebody will be like, "Bro, Scooby," and I'm like, "Yeah, you're the guy that loves me from How I Met Your Mother."

I'm always very flattered, and it'll never be normal. The best time for it to happen is when I'm with my mom, because it makes her prouder than anybody.

ScreenRant: More people should be saying The Tomorrow People.

Robbie Amell: You know what? When I get a Tomorrow People fan, they are like, "Why didn't that show go on for longer?" And I'm like, "Thanks." The answer is episodes 1- 5 were against an ALDS baseball game, 20 million viewers, Country Music Awards, 20 million viewers, and the World Series. Five episodes in a row with 20 million viewers for something else! It just totally shafted The Tomorrow People.

Chatting With Pluto TV’s Contest Winner

ScreenRant: “Soft Light” is the episode that first got you hooked on The X-Files. What do you remember about that experience?

Molly Hottle: When I turned on the screen, first of all, I saw both of them and was like, "Who are these people?" And then I was like, "These are the most beautiful people I've ever seen."

Then it was people melting, and I was totally sucked into the whole idea of the paranormal for a television show. I had never seen anything like this before, and it just became all-consuming.

ScreenRant: The X-Files has had a remarkably enduring legacy. What do you think keeps it feeling relevant today?

Molly Hottle: First of all, I think it's because of the time it has spanned. With Ryan Coogler redoing it now, it's like it's still going. The canon, the legacy of it, is still going and has gone beyond generations.

When I first saw the show, my parents were very worried about me watching a scary show, so I would have to sneak around and watch it. We had an antenna television, and when I would hear them coming in, I would have my finger on the channel button to switch it. That was analog! And now we're watching it on demand on Pluto TV, and we're going to see another iteration of it.

It means something to me, and I think to the fandom, that it can continue on. Even without the characters we necessarily know and love, there'll be new characters we get to know and love.

ScreenRant: Speaking of this next iteration, as the number one X-Files fan, what do you have to say to Ryan Coogler? What advice do you have for him?

Molly Hottle: First of all, Ryan Coogler, I would love to be an extra! I live just down the road in Seattle. If you want to call me, I'm happy to come up and share my knowledge.

But I love him. On the way down here, I watched Sinners. I'm obsessed with horror movies and obsessed with him, and I think that if anyone's going to take this on, it is definitely in his capable hands. And I think I speak for a lot of us in the fandom. Again, if it's him? It's great.

ScreenRant: Over the 11 seasons of X-Files, what are the episodes that you keep going back to? What are your top five?

Molly Hottle: That's a great question and a really hard one to answer. But I will say that when I have someone come to me and say, "Let's watch one together. What should I watch?", my answer is usually one of the Darin Morgan funny ones because that just draws people in. But that seems a little bit easy.

I always do "The Post-Modern Prometheus" because the black and white Frankenstein ties are amazing. I always do "Ice" because of its connections, and as an homage to The Thing. I think it's just a fantastically written episode.

"Triangle" is my favorite episode. The long tracking shot is just so groundbreaking for television. Everyone talks about True Detective doing that first, but it was really The X-Files that did it first! I just always try to correct people on that. The truth is out there. It's just so telling of how The X-Files is so groundbreaking and so important for television and for creators.

I also always point to anything in season 1. I feel like there are so many standalone monsters of the week that you can just jump into any one and pretty much can catch on to what's going on. It's a great primer to get started.

ScreenRant: How did you prepare for this nine-day binge-watching experience?

Molly Hottle: I actually have gone on an X-Files cleanse and not done any in a week, so that I can really prepare myself to restart this. But we start officially at 9am [PT] on Monday, and we're starting with season 1. We're going to go through and not skipping any. We're doing them all.

ScreenRant: What are you most excited to get out of rewatching the show in this new environment?

Molly Hottle: Usually, when I do rewatches of The X-Files, I'm doing other things. But now that we're in this space, and it's so immersive and there's nothing else for us to do, I cannot wait to see it again with new and focused eyes. I'll be seeing the details maybe I missed or have just forgotten about I'm really looking forward to that.

All 11 seasons of The X-Files are streaming on Pluto TV, which has a dedicated channel streaming the series linearly for "The Fan Is Out There" contest. No subscription required.