From pane 28 and a ‘grip* runs along, pulling it with me in it looking backwards toward the actor. MV: Why would you need that? MM: Because T can’t really run that fast. ft is 80 pounds and { can run, but I'm not light- ning fast — and David (Duchovny) is a gazelle. He runs very fast. Pve actually had to be on an ATV to shoot him, We were out ona golf cart once, and David was about twice as fast so we had to use the ATV. MV: What’s your favorite episode? MM: Gee, I don’t know. Almost anything by (X-Files writer) Darren Morgan. One called fate Chneig | really liked. It’s hard to say, but we did one called Memoirs of'a Cigarette Smoking Man, and | really enjoyed shooting that. It was a great experience, with a really great director who was nominated for an Emmy tor thar show — Jim Wong. That was his tirst time directing. He’s been a writer and producer for years. It was great. We did a lot of historical flashbacks like the assassination of Kennedy, and Martin Luther King. Jim was such a pleasant mian to work with. I've also got my favorite (director) Kim Manners shows. We did one called Home, which was really bizarre. It was the one with the three inbred brothers. That was my first show as the ‘A° camera opera- tor, so it was a big deal for me, and I was working with my favorite director, Kim Manners. J just love working with Kim and it was a weird, weird show. It was out there! Te was actually written by Jim: Wong and Glen Morgan. It was as bizarre as any X- Files you'll sce and I think it’s one of the better ones. MV: What’s the toughest situation you’ve had to work in? MM: Uhmm ( thoughtful pause ). There's been too many on the X-Files to recall any one specific onc. There’s been a number of stuff in the rain that was really hazd, or, the Steadicam’s enemy is wind. Any wind and it acts like a sail and blows you all around. That’s when you're just grabbing it. There's no technique involved. I did a shot last year where Mulder runs up to a Cessna, and THE X-Files’ Home episode with the three @ inbred brothers is a Mcinally favorite. Scully's in it and they're locking, at a map with the pilot. The prop was still on and it was creating, a missive gust of wind right next to me with the Steadicam on, It created a weird affeet. Fe almost had a drunken look. Thad to grab on and hold on to it or it would have blown away. That was really hard --- it was a really strong wind, We were on the roof of the gondola ar Grouse Mountain once. David (Duchoeny) was hanging over the side of it a harness, but that was scary. Tn the scene the gondola stops ii wav up the mountain ‘and starts rocking. That was afitde bit frightening. MV: But you read that script before you shot it. What were you thinking?? MA: You Know, atthe X-Files someone will come up to yeu and sav “Are vou afraid of heights?’ And vow sav “No, why? And they'll sav “Of, ne reason.” And ther ive weeks later you're tn this pondada tok down saving “OR, thavs whe Or, someone comes Up an ans, “Da voi mind be! “and Mm saw WeHL nef dan’t minal bees] paces and then vou tind vour. Friday, December 5, 1997 — North Shore News — 29 “You know, at the X-Files someone will come up to you and say ‘Are you afraid of heights?’ And you say ‘No, why?’ And they'll say ‘Oh, no reason. And then two weeks later you're in this gondola looking down saying ‘Oh, that’s why! Or, someone comes up and says,‘Do you mind bees?’ And I'll say ‘Well, no f don’t mind bees, I guess, and then you find yourself in a room with 35,006 of them!” Shooting X-Files takes up 10 months of the year with 35,000 of them! MV: How was that? MM: Being in « room with 35,000 bees? I've had better days, much better days. ‘Phat was the second time we worked with bees. ‘The first time we were in Kamloops in gin- seng fields with 50,000 bees. MV: You must have been stung? MM: Only a couple of tines actually. ° varold gist, got but she didn’t react at all until led cut and then she started nw. It was the bravest thing [ve ever seen, [ve been in a roam with 30,000 cockroaches. Same poor accor Had to have a hundred of them put on him. 1 mean it’s nuts. Boy, the things you do for moncy! On, we've had storms of locusts, just clouds of them. It’s like “what are we doing, here?’ Frogs raining from trees. We had a 25-foot python, her name was Rosie. The camera was underneath the stairs ina dark basement and they were sup- posed to release the snake and the snake would come down the stairs. Well, we roiled the camera, and we could hear it. It was very loud, it’s heavy. Suddenly we're saying we can hear it but we can’t see it, and my dolly grip, Dave Riopel, who was standing behind me said “I’ve found it, it’s touching me!’ The snake is at his shoulder, so we ran.. MV: You ran? MM: Oh, veah, it was hysterically funny. You could hear it on the soundtrack — ‘it’s touching meee!” MV: I guess the snake missed it's mark. MM: Yeah, the snake totally missed its mark ... We've worked with all kinds of animals. Wolves, they were very scary. And I had a 400- -pound Bengal tiger breathing in my face, lit- erally nvo feet away from me. MV: You really needed that close- up shot or what? Couldn't you have used a longer lens? MM: ( Laughing ) ‘That's what 1 asked! Everyone kept saving, "You're safe, you're safe.” And I said, You know, if I'm so safe, then how come all of you guys have baseball bars and Ive got nothing?” But it was fing, he had a great trainer. MV: With ail the gossip that sur- rounds David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, how does that affect you and the rest of the crew? MM: You know, it doesn’t. | don’t read or listen to any of that stat I have my experiences with David and Gillian and that’s how T react to them. All that crap in the papers, none of Us real. Pwork with Gillian every day, and P couldn't say enough good things about her. As far as David complaining about the rain and all that, well, anybody who works in the rain hike we do caumplains. We're out in it for pwelve hours, and nobexly likes to be in the rain for twelve hours. A walk in the rain is one thing, bat being outside shooting in the rain for awelve hours is really dis heartening. 1 don't know exactly what David's comments were, bur they were probably takes out of context. MV: What are you going to do if the X-Files moves to L.A. at the end of this season? MAM: Pavould never go to LAL Phis ts my heme. Hopetilh somebody somewhere will dire me. PCs gome io shard atter VoFrfes as really uique Spas EN sone Poort Know of Sheww phat i i Sand ov SAUTHOS TTR i a RN way. fd like to get into feature films again, or fust take more ume off. X-Files is 10 months of the year, and it’s a long 10 months when you're working 65- to 70- hour work weeks, you're tired at the end of it. MV: So you won't be sad to see the X- Files leave? MAM: P've been with it five years. [just got my hundredth show hat, so T will be very | Cast Patio} Furniture Precidio Acrylic Glasses wear sad to see it go. Pve done 103 our of 104 episodes. PH miss David and Gillian, and the experiences T had, bur at the same time [im looking forward to something new. I want to see what else is out there. Mefnally wanted to mention his assistants for their hard work and expertise: dolly grip (and rickshaw driver) Peter Wilke; first assis- tant (or focus puller) Simon Jor; and second assistants Mark Cohen and Trisha Mullen. Pool Ozonaiors auto, Demo units avail. teg. $798 Now $549 Save. 15% OFF REPAIRS all inshop repairs till Jan. 31/98 1 FREE MONTH: on Pool & Spa Maintenance with purchase of a 1 year contract (applies to labour only) Great Savings on New Pool & Spa Equipment installations - don’t wait this is the time to buy! *. Sat 9:30 - 4: