GIVEN his
harrowing role as Walter Skinner, assistant director of the FBI on The
X-Files, one might expect horror stories to be the last thing Mitch Pileggi
would want to read when he's away from the set.
So it's something
of a surprise to visit his home - a modest apartment in the arid hills
north of Los Angeles - and find an entire bookshelf devoted to works by
Stephen King and other masters of the macabre.
Mitch's attraction
to supernatunal yarns started early.
"When I was
a little boy, my mom's family was always into ghost stories," the 44-yearold
says.
"The bogeyman
was usually this guy called Sam Clutch. And those stories scared the hell
out of me. But in the end it was always, 'Tell me another one'."
These days,
Mitch is happily immersed in spooky stuff as he supervises agents Mulder
(David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) on their dark explorations
in Network Ten's The X-Files.
Skinner -
the stern, conflicted FBI official who seems sympathetic to his agents'
cause, but is often forced to undercut them because of pressure from his
own superiors - has unexpectedly grown from a minor supporting character
into an integral part of The X-Files mix.
Proof of
Mitch's growing appeal: the producers felt comfortable enough last season
to take the spotlight off the stars for the first time and the episode
Avatar was built around Skinner's being falsely accused of murder. "It's
really gratifying, because it shows they have confidence in what I'm doing,"
Mitch says. 'That's a gas."
What makes
him so effective in the role? The X-Files executive producer Chris
Carter says the actor's compelling presence is the key.
"He's
the kind of guy who has command of a room just by getting up from his chair,"
Carter says. "He looks like a real person, not a TV actor. And he's obviously
got a very powerful sex appeal."
Indeed. Not
since Telly Savalas' Kojak has a bald TV lawman set so many hearts aflutter.
On the Intemet, fan clubs such as the Screaming Pileggis rhapsodise about
wanting to kiss his head, and Mitch says one especially avid fan once demanded
that he autograph her bra. All of this ardent attention leaves the actor
slightly rattled.
"I never
know how to respond to that sex-symbol thing," Mitch says. "I do notice that whenever
I'm referred to in the media as a sex symbol, if's always qualified by
the word unlikely."
In baseball
cap, jeans and a black T-shirt, and sporting contact lenses in lieu of
the glasses he wears on the show, Mitch appears the antithesis of the uptight
official. The contrast to his TV role grows more pronounced when he reveals
that his preferred weapon for killing time between scenes on The X-Files'
set in Vancouver is a guitar on which he bangs out Neil Young tunes with
co star Nick Lea (Agent Krycek).
Is Mitch
really so different from his TV character? 'I don't think you'd see Skinner
skating down the Venice boardwalk," says David Duchovny, alluding to another
of Mitch's favorite pastimes. "But even when Mitch is relaxing and being
himself, there's an underlying intensity. He's a high-energy guy with a
low-energy presentation."
That complex
personality reflects an unconventional background. The son of an operations
manager for a major defence contractor, Mitch spent his childhood in three
states before attending high school in Ankara, Turkey. He was distracted
from athletics by a persistent music teacher who enlisted him in school
productions of West Side Story and My Fair Lady. Taking business Courses
at a number of colleges, he eventually snared a job with his fathers company
and spent nearly five years working as an administrator in Saudi Arabia
and, later, Iran.
"It was just
one big party." he says with a shrug, "until the revolution started."
Back in Texas,
Mitch rediscovered acting through a community theatre. "I was totally hooked,"
he says, After an early marriage broke up, the fledgling actor resolved
to pursue his passion. He packed up his car and headed for Hollywood.
It took him
a couple of years just to get an agent. "There were times when I was completely
frustrated," says Mitch, who supported himself by installing window blinds
for his brother's company. "But even during the years when I didn't act,
I knew this was what I was going to be doing."
Gradually
he began to get work as a villain. His most notable role - for which he
shaved his head - was as a gruesome psycho killer in Shocker. In that 1989
film, Mitch uttered the immortal line finger-lickin' good" after munching
on victim's hand. But what he really hungered for were greater acting challenges.
"I knew there
were other charcters I could play," Mitch says. "I just had to get the
opportunity show I could do something other than rip people apart."
Along came
The x-Files.
After auditioning
for Carter twice, but projecting the wrong image - FBI officials don't
shave their heads - Mitch grew out his hair and was hired for a single
episode.
Then Anderson's
pregnancy during the second season inspired the writers to develop a stonyline
in which Skinner played a prominent role.
Mitch wound
up with a six-year contract as a regular on the show. With this security,
a new romance (he recently began dating an X-Files colleague who works
behind scenes) and a little money in the bank, Mitch is definitely on a
roll.
But one special
person isn't around to see it, the man who most influenced his portrait
of Skinner - Mitch's father, Vito.
"My dad was
very tough (with his workers), but very fair," Mitch says. "But he was
always excited about what I was doing. He knew that it made me happy."
He pauses
and looks away.
"He passed
away about 2.5 ago he continues.
"I know he's
watching from Heaven, but I wish he were here that I could share this with
him. Because he'd be going nuts right now."
First printed in U S. TV Guide
| Article From: | TV Week | Published By: | Pacific Publications Pty Ltd |
| GPO Box 1743Q | Article Author: | Mark Nollinger | |
| Melbourne | Photo Source: | Unknown | |
| Victoria 3001 | Article Date | 09 Nov 1996 | |
| Australia | Email: | tvweek@pacpubs.com.au |
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