They may be one of the most famous pairings on TV, but X-Files duo Mulder and Scully could have had a different pairing if David Duchovny had his way.
The actor, who played Fox Mulder in the TV show, originally attempted to recruit fellow Yale graduate Jennifer Beals to star alongside him in the cult sci-fi series before actress Gillian Anderson was cast.
In the late 1980s, both Duchovny and the Flashdance star attended the prestigious Ivy League school, and Beals has revealed her run-ins with the actor were always a bit cheeky.
She tells US chat show The Talk: "I used to see David on the street - he tried to pick me up on several occasions. And I said, 'Um, I'm living with somebody.'"And then I ended up taking this acting class in New York and who walks in the door but David Duchovny. And he's like, 'I swear I am not stalking you!' And we became really good friends. He's a real sweetheart."
Duchovny even tried to get Beals hired on The X-Files as FBI agent Dana Scully, a part which eventually went to Gillian Anderson.
Beals adds: "When he was doing The X-Files he had talked to me about doing that, but I think Gillian was much better suited for that part than me."
Six new episodes of The X-Files are set to screen in 2016, featuring both Duchovny and Anderson.
- WENN