New Guardian Article
Posted at 12:38 PM (PDT) on Sunday, June 9, 2013

Gillian Anderson: The Fall girl who never bowed to Hollywood demands

Given her big break in The X-Files despite studio objections, Gillian Anderson has enjoyed a slow-burning career with her latest BBC role paving the way for more television success

By Emine Saner
The Guardian
9 June 2013

Steely, but with an underlying softness. A woman to make men weak, but also a feminist who values female company. Engaging, but ultimately a little cool and enigmatic. All could apply equally to Gillian Anderson or DSI Stella Gibson, the detective she plays in the BBC2 drama The Fall.

If they're a good fit for each other, it's no coincidence. Allan Cubitt, the creator of the series, started writing the screenplay in 2010 with Anderson in mind, long before she had been approached. "I just thought she was the best person to play the part as I had conceived it," he says. He sent her the first three scripts, which she liked, "so episodes four and five were written knowing she was interested. I felt more confident in that I knew she could handle the material I was writing especially well."

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