First part: Transcrição feita pela abby_road.

Who the hell is this guy?
...he is David Duchovny.

After following him on the legendary The X Files, and the controversial Californication, we have him identified. Here, an exclusive conversation for Esquire. This interview was a sort of date with a chaperone. Professional date and long distance, of course. But you can know a lot about someone even if you know him under surveillance. And David Duchovny's charisma floods the flimsy phone connection and his agent's supervision, who warned me before starting, kindly but firmly, that the X Files and Californication actor would not respond any questions about his personal life, his ex-wife, actress Téa Leoni, or nothing of such matter. After reassuring her the interview would only be about professional proyects about the new york actor, she let me go through. The characteristic soft and masculine voice of Duchovny, somewhat hoarse - because he had gotten up very early for a job compromise-, began to exert its charm. The assigned 15 minutes had flown by, and the conversation went on. His versatility and ability as an actor has been proved - he's the only actor in the Golden Globes' history to have won the award in a starring role both in drama and comedy, in 1996 and 2007 respectively - but I should also say that, even though I wasn't a fierce fan of the TV series that launched him to stardom, I really wanted to believe in him. This is what he told us about the shooting of the fifth season of Californication, what his character Hank Moody still needs to do, and his point of view about goats.

Esquire: Tell us more about how Californication was born. Es a good anecdote: Tom Kapinos was a writer and then producer of Dawson's Creek, he then retired for a while, fed up, saying he no longer wanted to work on TV. He had written a draft about Hank Moody's story, and found it years later thanks to his wife. And then the script came to you, year after working on The X Files and saying you would never work on TV again. And not only you came back in a starring role, you also end up as an executive producer, working with Kapinos. That's what I call a happy ending.

David Duchovny: (laughs) Well yes. We like doing Californication. When I said I would never do TV again, after nine seasons of The X Files, I meant a job routine like that: it was a total compromise for ten month per year or more. Between 22 and 25 episodes per season, eight days to shoot each episode.

ESQ: It must have been an exhausting pace.
DD: That's right. It was a job that gave lots of satisfactions, but it didn't leave time nor energy for anything else. That's why I ended up saying I wouldn't be able to do that again, but the prospects began changing those years, with everything HBO and Showtime began to produce. A different way of presenting TV, more risky.

ESQ: It's a whole new era. The viewers appreciate it.
DD: And the actors too! They're good stories, but it's also a very resonable job. We do twelve episodes per year and each one takes a week to make. That way it's like working on a movie, three and a half months of work and then you can take other proyects, until the next season. As long as the series does well, of course.

ESQ: You've done wonderfully. A Golden Globe for you (in 2007), and the third season was so succesful that the premiere of the fourth one was pushed forward.
DD: Thank you. I'm happy to have accepted the role, but when we started we didn't know what was going to happen. My decision was based on realizing that you could make a show without giving up your life and career. When my agent sent me the pilot's script, told me she knew I didn't really want to do TV, but if there was a story that was worth it, it was Hank Moody's. She insisted me and I am thankful for that. Besides, at that time, Weeds was on the air, for example. That showed that Showtime was beginning to take chances and hire really talented people to make good shows.

ESQ: How does it feel to have been on a massive hit like The X Files and moving to a show with a less wide target, but with a more sofisticated and demanding audience?
DD: It is exactly like that, I already went through the mainstream experience and everything that goes with it, with The X Files. It's very surprising and appreciated to have so much acceptance, so many dedicated fans, such a wide and diverse audience. It has a wonderful side but also a hard one, it leaves you exhausted. I think it is one of those projects that only comes once in a lifetime, if you're lucky. I have great memories, but also, to tell you the truth, I was relieved of being able to stop that avalanche of expectations of such a massive audience and the mainstream media. You never reduce the audience of a product on purpose, you always want to have as much as possible, but the nature of the show, with more adult, heavy subjects like Californication, prevents you to reach the general acceptance. It's not for all audiences, but the one we have is great. I'm happy that they can get the humor of the show and appreciate it. We enjoy doing it.

ESQ: At first sight, it seems Californication is a comedy show, that everything is partying and Hank has a really good time. But actually he's a character with many colors and a very dense side. It's a mix, the constrant between light and dark what makes it so attractive. How do you work on those aspects of your role?

DD: Yeah, exactly. For me, is like that, and I think it also is for those who follow the show. The dark parts really stand out when you place them between the funny parts and viceversa. I try to focus in making the funny parts work. I think the dramatic side of the story develops on it own. The comedy is a challenge... it's good we have well written scripts and a wonderful cast. Not only the stable cast, but also the guest stars each season. They're great. Rob Lowe, Carla Gugino; everyone, it's a luxury to have them.

ESQ: Carla Gugino plays Abby, Hank's lawyer, it's worrying for those who support his eternal girlfriend/ex girlfriend Karen (Natasha McElhone) and want them and Hank together again.
DD: Don't worry about Abby. We're all fans of Karen. I am a fan of Kare. Karen and Hank as a couple are what makes the show a love story. It's another one of the reasons I agreed to make the show. When I read the pilot script, I thought it was very funny, a very interesting character and with many angles, but I didn't know how that would be put on camera or how the story would develop. On a meeting with Tom (Kapinos) I asked him: "Hey, this show isn't going to be only about this guy who has a lot of flings and lots of funny dialogues, right?". And Tom said that no, that it was a love story, complicated but real, that it was always going to be about Hank and Karen, so then I said that I accepted, that it had meaning that way.

ESQ: And it also couldn't focus on a guy who wants to write, right? Theorically, it doesn't sound very entertaining.
DD: Exactly. I was also worried about that. There's nothing more boring that watching someone who's writing. It didn't sound good for TV, but that part of the story is so well done that it works, it is a catalyst for a lot of other things on the plot.

ESQ: What is new on the fifth season of the show that you just finished filming? What was the funnest during the filming?
DD: Well, each season Hank is in a different ambient and this year there's a change, because it begins two and a half years after the ending of the fourth season. There's a lapse that won't be shown, unlike the previous seasons which started almost the day after than the ending of the previous season. I think it was a very good move from Tom to keep the story fresh. When the fifth season begins, Hank has been living for over two year in New York, but when he goes back to Los Ángeles to do another movie, he finds himself in the middle of the Hollywood machinery, and that is always very fun for us, making fun of everything that has to do with making movies.
ESQ: And it seems that besides being a love story between Hank and Karen, the series shows the love-hate relationship between New York and Los Ángeles, the contrast between the cities.
DD: Yes, definitely. Hank sees himself as a new yorker, he has always wanted to go back to New York, but for different reasons like money, family and love, he ends up staying on L.A. They're very different cities, both facinating. I have never been to México city, but I imagine it as a mix between them both.

ESQ: Something like that, but it's more contrasting and crazy, I think. It has charm, but not a conventional charm.
DD: Isn't it the second biggest city of the world? That's is pretty crazy on itself.

ESQ: Did you write or direct an episode this season, like you did on The X Files?
DD: No, I haven't written any scripts, I have left that business (laughs). I did it on The X Files, but for Californication what I do is direct one of the first episodes of each season. The first or the second, because after that I don't have any time left to prepare them.

ESQ: In those episodes, do you let your character do things you've always wanted?
DD: I've always wanted Hank to dance, and I couldn't do it yet. Tom (Kapinos) is convinced that Hank is not one of those people who dances. The farthest we've got was a scene on which Hank is in a club with a girl who wants to take him to the dancefloor and he answers: "Hank doesn't dance". Maybe for the sixth season, if we get to do it, I'll have the pleasure to do it.

ESQ: Speaking of dancing and indulge oneself, how do you feel, as an actor, after five season of playing Hank, the king of the hedonistic?
DD: Well, I do dance, a little. And I don't think playing a character like that has affected me on any way on my daily life. When I come across people on the street and someone tells me that Hank is their hero, I'm impressed. It'll never stop amazing me that someone would want that kind of life for himself. For me, it has always been clear that Hank suffers, he doesn't always have a good time, and he's kind of tormented. I almost want to reply: "I'm very sorry."

ESQ: And you, what do you do outside of work to not feel tormented, to have a good time?
DD: Sunny days make feel in a good mood and having time to go out and enjoy those moments with my children. I already am a person who like being outdoors. Even though I grew up on New York, I now feel open spaces much more. I love the beach, so being around my family and go to the beach are things that always put me in a good mood.

ESQ: That would be your favorite activity on summer?
DD: Not only on summer, I could live on a beach and be very happy.

ESQ: I couldn't do it. It would make it impossible to work.
DD: That's okay. It should de done someday, you go to work for some time.

ESQ: You've had years of intense work...
DD: That's right. But it's good to pause and choose very carefully the next proyect. That way you enjoy them more.

ESQ: You say that while to are sun bathing, eating a chocolate ice-cream.
DD: I think I like vanilla more. Actaully, I'm not into desserts so much. I can't even think which one is my favorite food. I'm a foodie at all. I can't cook but I eat everything and I enjoy it, but I really don't think about it.

ESQ: And what about fashion? I don't mean to sound rude, quite the contrary, but that's not really your thing either, is it?
DD: No, that's right, I'm no fashionista. I'm one of those people who are happy hanging around in jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt, those that get very soft as you use them. The idea is to feel comfortable, I don't have a big sense of style. My daughter makes fun of me about that, but at this point, I am how I am, I don't think there's much to do. But, when I have freshen up, I like to wear a classic suit. A good suit is like a t-shirt, on another scale: if it's well done, well cut, you feel good in it and that shows. I do try on several suits so I can choose the one that fits better. It's not like I'd put myself on the hands of a stylist to dress me, as if I was a Barbie.

ESQ: A Ken, right?
DD: (laughs) Exactly, thanks for the precision!

ESQ: When you began your carreer, didn't you do modeling?
DD: I did a couple of commercials, but I don't think that counts, right? Although I remember I did a test shoot to be a Calvin Klein model. Bruce Weber took those photos, I don't know where they are now...

ESQ: I'm sure they'll turn up on eBay.
DD: The think is, I didn't past the test. The didn't give me the job.

ESQ: I'm glad you didn't end up as a model.
DD: Me too. Besides, the competition was hard, I think they gave it to Mark Wahlberg in the end.
ESQ: What can you tell us about your theater debut last year with The Break of Noon (by Neil LaBute) when you already had a solid career on TV and movies? Do you want to make more theater?
DD: It was very interesting, but I was very nervous. I had never done it and that play in particular was very complicated. I had two very long monologues, which opened and closed the play, so I felt very pressured. I hope it wasn't debut and farewell. I live in New York, where there's so much good theater, so I hope I get more scripts, more options. I'd definitely take them into consideration.

ESQ: What does it feel to be a student of Harold Bloom? (David studied english literature in Princeton, and then in Yale, where the famous critic and author teached) Are you still in contact with him in any way? Do you read his books?
DD: Well, no, we are not in contact, it wasn't a personal relationship. I was only on a small seminar taught by him, we were like ten or twelve people. His lectures were interesting and I have always liked his works. I read his books now, but not more than that.

ESQ: I wonder what would Bloom say about a show like Californication.
DD: That's right, what would he say? I don't know. If he ever watched I think he'd smack my head.

ESQ: Do you still read on paper or only on your electronic reader?
DD: When I'm on a trip or away from home, I use a electronic reader, is very practical. It's such a luxury to be able to carry your library with you, but of course, I rather read on paper.

ESQ: After your movie debut, House of D, do you want to write or direct more movies in the future?
DD: Yes, for a while now, I'm always hoping they won't hire me as an actor, but I think all of us (actors) are like that. You're always hoping your career will end at some point so you can do other things.

ESQ: Isn't it the other way around? I always thought it was more common to be afraid of that moment and dodge it any way you can.
DD: You're right. Maybe it's my personality... but I like that idea. I had a great time directing and I have a few scripts that I have written in the last few years, so when the opportunity arrives and I have the necessary money - which isn't much because they're always stories that are normally small movies, independent and with a low budget - I'd love to direct them. Besides of stories about growing, I would love to make interesting romantic comedies, like Woody Allen's.

ESQ: Your last movie is like that, very independent (Goats, from 2011, he plays a goat herder) How did you got along with you cast mates, the goats? Seriously though, what was it like to work with Christopher Neil on his debut as director? Did you gave him some tips?
DD: Basically the only tip I can give is "don't freak out". As a director, every day something will go wrong or very, very wrong, until the point you'll feel the movie is completly ruined. It's normal, it'll surely happen, so you have to focus and not panic. More or less, that's what I told Chris. I didn't had any previous relationship with the goats before the movie, but I got along with them, I was pleased to meet them, some of them, at least.

ESQ: Well, you can add a new skill to your CV.
DD: (laughs) I will. The thing about goats is that they're not like horses or dogs: They don't care about human beings very much. But they're okay if you're around, and I like that aspect of their personality. They're not needy.

ESQ: Do they have a more feline personality?
DD: Exactly, they're more similar to cats.

ESQ: What do you prefer as a pet, cats or dogs?
DD: I'm more of a dog person. I only have one dog now. They were two, but one died of old age, a year and a half ago. It had 17 years old already, a veteran.

ESQ: As a father of two teenagers, has it been helpful at all to play Becca's father (Hank's daughter on Californication played by Madeleine Martin) for so long, join her in the growing process, even if just for work?
DD: I hope so. I like to think of Hank Moody as a good father; even though he's not very trustworthy and takes very wrong decisions, I think he always try, he tries again and again. I think as a dad that is very important, because you're going to make a lot of mistakes - I have -, but it's important to go back and keep trying, that your kids can tell you're making the effort.

ESQ: Like when you make a movie, according to what you said before.
DD: It's the same thing. You don't have to panic. Is important to not give up.

ESQ: By the way, after doing your thesis about Beckett, how did you choose the subject for your PhD thesis, about the magic and technology of the contemporary prose and poetry?
DD: I didn't finish it, and that was a long time ago. I don't remember how I got to that subject, but it had to do with the idea that the magic had a moral aspect; that is why there is white magic, which is good and black magic, which is bad. And technology doesn't have moral; if there's something that can be done, it gets done. That is not very debatable, maybe only if it's about nuclear weapons. That's why, my idea was to talk about the technology that's present in literature, like some kind of magic that can change our lives, but infusing a moral sense.

ESQ: The mix between magic and technology can also be useful to decribe acting, films and TV, right?
DD: Of course. It's like that. It's technology with magic.