By Mike McCarthy
The X-Files are back and people are going to be losing their minds over this six episode mini-series. The return of Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), The Smoking Man, Walter Skinner and more only amplifies the excitement about this revival, no matter how short it is. After a 13 year hiatus, Mulder and Scully are back to see if “The Truth is Out there,” once and for all in The X-Files.
Joining the cast is Aliza Vellani, who was a toddler when the show first started back in 1994, but will be working side by side with Scully in this version of the show. Aliza has been around television for a years now, going back to when she was on The Little Mosque on the Prairie ( got it right this time, Aliza!!) which ran from 2007-2012. Aliza has also been seen on iZombie, Mistresses and we can’t wait to see what she has coming up. Most recently ( January 23rd) Aliza could be seen on Lifetime Channel’s Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart, as an ER attendant. Make sure to watch Aliza on X-Files starting tonight ( January 24th) on Fox, after the NFC Championship game 9:30PM EST
Wingman Magazine: For colors; you like red…you like purple…but you hate pink. Explain…and how do you feel about fuscia?
Aliza Vellani: I have always hated pink because people have always put me in pink or wanted to see me wear it. I never understood why when you combined red and white it became a brand new color. If you did that for orange or green, it doesn’t really change all that much. That’s mainly my deal with pink. With fuscia, that color is pretty intense so I give it a chance every now and then, but usually keep my distance.
Wingman Magazine: X-Files…you play a Dr. that works close with Scully. Tell us about your part, and do you believe “The Truth is Out there?”
Aliza Vellani: I can’t say much about my character except her name is Sandeep and she works closely with Dr. Scully in the hospital. She is definitely more along Scully’s world in the series. There is always a possibility when it comes to aliens, you never know.
Wingman Magazine: Were you an avid watcher of X-Files when you were younger? Did you watch it when you got cast?
Aliza Vellani: I was one years old when the show started, so I definitely had to play some catch up. I watched a little bit recently while preparing for the audition, but am working on watching the rest of the series. My father and I are big sci-fi fans, so when he found out I was going to be on The X-Files he was probably more excited than I was.
Wingman Magazine: Since you worked with Gillian Anderson on set, what was your first interaction and introduction to her like?
Aliza Vellani: We met in hair and makeup. She was there and we were getting ready for a long day, which was fourteen hours. It was a lot of fun to get to know one another. It was an honor to work with her. Just to see how she works, having done this so often she was like a well-oiled machine just had everything ready to go. I feel I really learned a lot from her.
Wingman Magazine: A lot of your roles are based around the medical field. Being of an Indian background, do you think that is a stigma in the medical field?
Aliza Vellani: I enjoy playing the someone in the medical field. It’s kind of a joke in the family, that they didn’t have to send me to medical school, but I get to play one on tv and they are equally as proud. I love playing a doctor, it’s so much fun to play a medical role on screen.
Wingman Magazine: You wanted to be Jennifer Garner’s rendition of “Elektra,” did you audition for the part in the Daredevil Netflix show for season 2?
Aliza Vellani: I never auditioned for it but it would be amazing to play Elektra. She is an amazing character, and Jennifer’s version was so good I kept watching it on repeat, so you never know. I really loved how vulnerable she was, and how Jennifer Garner has this ability to play such strong characters, but you see their soft side and makes them relatable. It’s something that I have always wanted to learn how to do, to play such very strong female characters with a soft spot and can play that, and be relatable to the audience in that way. I liked her better in the Elektra film, but the playground scene in the Daredevil film was my favorite scene in the entire movie. I have trouble watching all of the comic book shows or movies, but it’s so hard to keep up.
Wingman Magazine: You are a cat person and your favorite Disney movie is Lion King. If you were a dog person, do you think your favorite Disney film would be Lady and the Tramp?
Aliza Vellani: It might be, because everyone loves Lady and the Tramp, it’s such a cute love story. I would be completely out of my element if I was around a dog. When I am with cat’s I am more in the zone. As a kid my grandma had a dog that liked to bite and bark, which started my fear of dogs initially. I also have friends that have really nice dogs, but I still can’t figure them out. Are they gonna jump on me or lick me, they are just too unpredictable.
Both of my parents are from Tanzania, so knowing a few Swahili words that my parents knew, created a sort of love for Lion King. I love the story, I love Timon and Pumba, that type of comedic style. For me, I love the songs which are amazing.
Wingman Magazine: Tell us about the time you popped your knee back into place after dislocating it. Was it like in Lethal Weapon when Mel Gibson slams his shoulder into the wall to put it back in…or slightly less dramatic?
Aliza Vellani: I actually barely remember popping it back in. I just remember being on the floor and seeing the patella a little bit further than it should be. I grabbed it and somehow it snapped back in, and I just held on to my leg for dear life. It was pretty excruciating and your adrenaline is just rushing for hours afterwards.
Check out Aliza in this short promo for X-Files, and her IMDB page below:
http://tvline.com/2016/01/21/x-files-revival-premiere-video-scully-gillian-anderson/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2490049/?ref_=nv_sr_1