 XFN shared a few minutes with Ms. Sheila Larken, best known for her character as Margaret Scully, mother of the enigmatic Agent Scully. Enjoy this 2-parter interview and learn some very insightful aspects of her experience working on The X-Files.
Sometimes people yearn to blur the differences between reality and fiction. Maybe because what we see is much more exciting, or because of a lack adventure or danger, but sometimes it’s the actors themselves that motivate us to want to be part of their reality. Yes, I realize that might sound crazy, but Sheila Larken is one of those people! She made her pass through The X-Files so believable, that fans not only revered her, but wanted themselves be adopted by this strong picture of a mother.
This talented 65-year-old actress that once played Mrs. Margaret Scully, began her career as a child in New York. “I was one of those children that from the time that they could walk and talk ended up being an actor, I was fortunate enough to grew up in the city, and fortunate enough to have incredible exposure to arts and theater, and my mom always took me to the theater and the ballet, and as soon as I could, as a child, I started studying in Manhattan in the different acting schools.” At the age of 14, she was working professionally. Today, after being off the airwaves and the screens for a few years, she spends her time in her busy practice as a clinical therapist to which she got a degree in 1991 and has always been a therapist on the side, whenever she wasn’t acting.
 “I kind of pulled back, unless I find a part that I really, really like, and there are a couple of parts on television right now, I think in Heroes, the lady that plays the bad mother, the character is great, and the lady in Fringe does it great, but there are few older parts, and Sally Field gets them all...” She says with a laugh. “There are so many out of work movie stars...”
At this point in her life and career, she also dreads being stuck in stereotypes. “Parts like Dana Scully are fun, they really are, powerful, strong women, and its happening more and more, so when you get the same scenes and you’re not doing very well, you sort of say “been there, done that” I don’t want to cry anymore, that’s not to say that if something wonderful came along, I would do it in a minute” And something wonderful came, but in a different way. R.W. Goodwin, her husband, produced and directed the new 50’s scifi movie Alien Trespass, and she didn’t hesitate a minute to tag along and help him with the promotion of the film.
Sheila has been involved in over 60 different projects, many of them of great importance, such as Dallas, Barnaby Jones and Little House on the Prarie, but she claims that none of them were really career breakers. “I did a series called Storefront Lawyers, and had that been done now, it would have probably been a career breaker but those days if you wound up in a series that didn’t make it, you were sort of taboo, whereas now if you are in a series that they take off the air, they just move you to another series, you sort of work where you are, you know?”
“I just think that, probably The X-Files, if people “Google” me, that’s what I’ll be remembered for, it was one of my best parts and the chance to work consistently enough on the screen, it kind of perfects the craft. You know, the craft as an artist, unless you keep doing it, you can’t get any better. It’s rare to have that talent, and you have to learn to work for cameras, it’s a very especific technique.”
“Is there a scene from one of your shows that you like in particular, besides The X-Files?” I ask.
“Oh there’s this show called Ghost Story, I don’t remember an specific episode, but it was on the Sci-Fi Channel, that I really loved, oh god I’ve done so many of them...!” She recalls. “I did this wonderful movie with Donald Sutherland called Behind the Mask that I really, really liked, of course all of the Dallas’ and The Incredible Hulk’s and The Bold Ones! There are so many of them that I can’t remember but I really like Ghost Story, because it had the same effect of The X-Files, self contained, sort of a mini movie.” She also remembers of another loved project of hers; the TV movie Downpayment on Murder in which she starred with Connie Seleca, David Morse and Ben Gazarra. R.W. Goodwin produced and was directed by Waris Hussein.
 Ms. Larken was cast for the role of Margaret Scully, a strong character, mother of Dana Scully, who we learned carried on that powerful attribute. Casting a role like this should’t have been as easy as it was with a find like Larken, considering she had to portray the wife of a stubborn Mr. Scully, the mother of a rude and harsh Bill Scully Jr., the death of Melissa, Charlie, the ghost, and then Dana. The independent and loyal daughter whos lifestyle kept Mrs. Scully questioning enough about her safety and life to and forgo the rest.But, did Larken know at that moment what she had gotten into? Just how famous and memorable the show would become?
“Well, if I remember correctly, my first (regular) show wasn’t on the first year, so I already had a glimmer of an idea, you know? because I saw what was being produced and it was brilliant, and the fan base had really begin to build. So I think I was slightly aware that I had caught a shooting star, you know?”
One of her favorite set stories was about the episode One Breath which was directed by her husband and she tells me between giggles: “Gillian was dying, once again...” She laughs. “There’s a scene where David is kind of talking about Gillian, I mean, Dana, and I go “Fox!” and I’m the only one that calls him by his first name, and we were in rehearsal and David jumped and went “Oh My God!!! My mother is in the room!” She remembers containing her laugh. “Funny, as you grow older, it was the first time that I trully realized that I was the mother... you know, I’ve raised my children and all that... had naturally blossomed into being “The Mother” and that voice that can stop a child cold, you know? And David nailed it! “Oh my God... My mother is here...” I always remember that, you know? The hyper critical mother. For sure one of my favorite stories.”
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Field_Trish
The mother-daughter dynamic between Sheila and Gillian was always right on! Not to mention Sheila's resemblance to Gillian's real-life mother. I love their scenes together. Especially the scenes at the hospital during the cancer arc when Mrs. Scully first arrives at the hospital only to find out her daugther has cancer (when she tells Scully that she should've told her about being sick IMMEDIATELY). I also love the scenes with Mrs. Scully and the entire Scully clan (sans Charlie) in "Christmas Carol".
Yesterday at 9:55pm.
XFN Exclusive: Ms. Larken talks about Mrs. Scully and More - Part I
Source: xfilesnews.com
A new Xclusive from XFN's Avi Quijada!
I love it SO YOU WILL TO!
Read AND COMMENT! Come on, all the cool kids are doing it!
♥ ♥ ♥
Comment ·
You, Joselyn Rojas, Olga Kaimara, Jessica Sperty and 5 others like this.
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Sara Strong at 10:33pm March 29
RAD!
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Arianne Nicole Urick at 10:58pm March 29
I love her...shes such a class act
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Believer Qc at 11:26pm March 29
i will do it soon, good job XFN! , as a colleague from QuieroCreer =D
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Marie Harang at 12:10am March 30
Thank!! I love her ! she's.. just like the mother of all of us now :p
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Perla Perez at 12:33am March 30
I love how each of these interviews give us insight to the Actor as well as the character, like finishing a story... ♥ ♥ I know XFN works really hard for you guys to enjoy these, so THANKS for your support.
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Alayne Bennett at 6:07am March 30
Loved this interview - love this woman
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Rebecca Welch at 6:54am March 30
Mother!!!! lol jk but really who wouldn't love to be adopted by this woman
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Erin Fox at 2:29pm March 30
she seems like a sweetie
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Lisa Mawson at 3:51pm March 30
what a lovely lady, she seems so down to earth with a wicked sense of fun.
THE END...for now. :)
LOL Traum I love all of your comments!
"Sometimes people yearn to blur the differences between reality and fiction."
This article already starts like that. And I go "Oha, let me lean back and think about that...Naah, better keep reading on, I bet there will be more of it."
And really Larken shares so many insights here, its great!
I am glad that she can chose cause she has an additional job :).
I also liked the part of her childhood and New York! I like how she says "fortunate enough to grew up"...
Like..I enjoy the culture in Berlin a lot too, but I know that not the whole world looks like that. Also I love when artists have these "stories" about the cities they grew up in :). I dont know,it turns them from these huge zoos into magical places of corners and lingering memories.
And HOW LOVELY is the memory of David on set of "One Breath" ?!
Awwwwww =)
Does this mean I'm Samantha! :O
LOL Ok... so I am one of those people who thought at the age
of 8 that Mrs. Scully was totally my mom. I just LOVE Sheila Larkin
so hard! I don't think she will ever know how much... but Avi does LOL.
Her acting was just so RIGHT, and the relationship she has with her
husband is just so inspiring! *gushes*