“I was part of the casting” — David Duchovny jokes he “discovered” his ‘Playing God’ co-star Angelina Jolie

Californication star David Duchovny joked about him being the person who discovered actress Angelina Jolie. In a Thursday, June 27 appearance on Sirius XM's Andy Cohen Live, the actor recalled working on the 1997 film Playing God alongside Jolie. Duchovny told host Andy Cohen:

"I was casting, I was part of the casting of, I didn't discover her, but you know, she came in, and I just knew she was a movie star, and I told everybody we've gotta cast her."

The 1997 crime thriller was directed by British director Andy Wilson and was a financial and critical flop. The film stands at a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 16%.

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"I feel like I discovered Angelina Jolie"— David Duchovny

David Duchovny appeared on Thursday's episode of Sirius XM's Andy Cohen Live, during which the actor played word association with host Andy Cohen. Cohen would say the name of one of Duchovny's co-stars and the actor would have to reveal the first thing that came to his mind on hearing their names.

After a few rounds of names, the name of Duchovny's Playing God co-star Angelina Jolie came up, and Duchovny immediately joked:

"I feel like I discovered Angelina Jolie."

As mentioned earlier, Duchovny revealed that he had been involved with the casting process of the 1997 film and told "everybody" that they should cast Jolie as he just knew that she would be a movie star. In a 1997 interview with Interview Magazine, Angelina Jolie talked about her role in Playing God. She said:

"[Playing God] was very rock-‘n’-roll and fun and loud and say-what-you-want-to-say, dress wild and love wild — you know that fantasy. I really allowed myself to get into that world. Being the age am, I sometimes feel like a punk kid walking onto certain sets, but I didn’t this time. I felt very much a woman."

Playing God followed Eugene Sands (David Duchovny), a surgeon who had his medical license revoked due to being under the influence of opiates and amphetamines during surgery. However, Sands' fortune takes a turn when he saves a man in a nightclub shooting and impresses a local mob boss named Raymond Blossom (Timothy Hutton).

Angelina Jolie's character, Claire, is Raymond Blossom's girlfriend. After Blossom hires Sands to be his personal physician, David Duchovny's character becomes romantically involved with Angelina Jolie's Claire.

Although the movie was heavily criticized, Angelina Jolie was praised for her role. Jolie debuted in Hollywood with the 1982 comedy film Lookin' to Get Out. The film also starred her father and actor Jon Voight.

Jolie returned to the spotlight 11 years later with 1993's Cyborg 2 and the 1995 cult classic Hackers, which is largely considered her breakout role. In 1997, Jolie also starred in the television film George Wallace along with Playing God. The former landed her an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe Award, establishing her as a force to be reckoned with.

David Duchovny, on the other hand, was already an established actor when he starred in Playing God. Duchovny rose to fame by portraying DEA Agent Denise Bryson in three episodes of the early 90's hit show Twin Peaks and most importantly, FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder in 191 episodes of The X-Files from 1993 to 2002.

Earlier this month, the Angelina Jolie-produced Broadway musical The Outsiders won the prestigious Tony Award for Best Musical. Jolie and Brad Pitt's daughter Vivienne Jolie was the producer's assistant. David Duchovny was last seen in the historical black comedy drama miniseries The Sympathizer, which premiered on HBO on April 11, 2024.