‘The X-Files’: Mitch Pileggi Says ‘Kitten’ Will Explain Why Skinner Is Who He Is
Agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) have spent much of Season 11 of The X-Files suspicious of their longtime boss, FBI Assistant Director Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), and things reach a boiling point in Wednesday’s episode when he suddenly goes MIA. (Is he hanging out with the Cigarette Smoking Man?)
The hour will at least give the audience a clearer picture of Skinner, with a deep-dive into his backstory, complete with flashbacks to his pre-X-Files life. In addition to filling in some holes regarding his time in Vietnam,“you start to understand why Skinner behaves the way he does,” Pileggi teases.
The Sixth Sense’s Haley Joel Osment is a key presence in the installment, though details of his appearance are being kept under wraps.
Haley Joel Osment in the “Kitten” episode of ‘The X-Files’
Shooting the episode also turned into a family affair for Pileggi. Cory Rempel, his nephew by marriage, plays young Skinner. “He threw himself into it,” Pileggi boasts. “I got a text from him at the end of his first day of filming, saying, ‘That was probably the best day of my life.’”
However, he has one minor gripe. Jokes Pileggi, “I think he’s a little too good-looking as Skinner.”
The X-Files, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 8/7c, Fox
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