Yes, it's almost time for Heroes Comic Con Belgium again and just like last edition a ticket will also give you access to Made in Asia and Gameforce. For this edition of Heroes Comic Con the movie and TV guestlist consists of actors and actresses from two of the most iconic TV shows of the 90s. We are talking about "The X Files" and "Beverly Hills 90210". In this first article we will focus on the guest from the first one. "The X Files" quickly grew out to be one of the most successful franchises of the last decades and it consists of not only the TV show but also feature films, video games, comic books and much more. A big part of the success of the show is to be attributed to the two main characters of the show and one of those two is coming to Brussels Expo on October 18 and 19. When I say Mulder, you say ...? Exactly, the woman behind Scully is the first guest we are talking about!

Gillian Leigh Anderson was born on the 9th of August 1968 in Chicago, Illinois. She is the first born child of Rosemary 'Posie' and Homer Edward 'Ed' Anderson III. Gillian has two siblings: a younger sister named Zoe and a younger brother named Aaron, who was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis. Aaron sadly passed away due to a brain tumor in 2011 (he was only 30 years old). Gillian's mother Rosemary was a computer analyst and later became vice-president of Neurofibromatosis Inc. (a support group for Neurofibromatosis in West Michigan). Gillian's father Edward owned a film post-production company.  Soon after Gillian was born, the family moved to Puerto Rico, because of Edward's job and they lived there for 15 months. The family then relocated to the U.K. . They settled in London, where Gillian's father enrolled the London Film School.

The family lived in London's North End and young Gillian dreamed about becoming an archeologist or a marine biologist. She later said, as a child she loved to dig up worms and cutting them into pieces. That was al in the interest of science of course. During her time in London, Gillian attended Coleridge Primary School. When she was 11 years old, the family relocated again and this time the Andersons moved back to the States, to Grand Rapids (michigan) to be exact. They did keep on a flat in London and the family spent their summers there. Back in the States Gillian felt quite alienated, partly because of her British accent. Although she was born in Chicago, Gillian did not speak with an American accent, which made her stand out amongst her peers. Besides this, there was the fact that she had to leave all of her friends behind in London. Also, the contrast between the European metropole London and the small Republican town in Michigan was huge. Take all of this, add puberty to the mix and you get an angry and rebellious teenager.

Gillian started dating a much older boyfriend, who played in a punk band. She shaved her head partly, had a mohawk, a .nose ring and a lot of attitude. She experimented with drugs and was voted most likely to get arrested by her classmates. Gillian did get arrested on the night of her graduation, when she broke into the school to pull a prank. Following this, she was charged with trespassing. At the age of 14, Gillian went into therapy to learn how to cope with her emotions and self destructive behaviour. This therapy set her on a new path and taught her how to put all of that energy in the future and what she wanted to do with her life.It was also during this time, that a teacher assigned her the balcony scene of "Romeo&Juliet". While Gillian had no background in acting and Shakespeare, she studied the scene and mastered it in no time.  Gillian's mother recalled her jaw dropping to the ground, when she saw her daughter performing the scene. The acting bug hit and Gillian's outlook changed. From this moment on, her grades went up and she was even voted 'most improved student'.

After graduation in 1986, Gillian studied acting at the prestigious DePaul University's School of Drama in Chicago, Illinois. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 1990. During her time in college, Gillian performed in several stage productions, honing her classical and contemporary theatre skills. After earning her degree; Gillian moved to New York City with limited resources, but a strong determination to become an actress. To gain experience, Gillian threw herself into the off-Broadway theatre scene. She performed with smaller companies and took on diverse roles to gain experience and hone her skills. In 1991, Gillian got the chance to play the role of Evelyn in the off-Broadway production of Alan Ayckbourn's "Absent Friends". She did a great job and it earned her the 'Theatre Newcomer Award'. When Gillian decided to move to New York, she had one firm rule: she did not want to act on television. At the time TV work was often seen as less serious than movie or stagework. Although she did good on stage, Gillian still had to do a lot of side jobs to get by. Due to her lack of connections and money, Gillian changed her mind about TV work, because it could provide financial stability and visibility. She took a big leap and moved to Los Angeles to broaden her opportunities and the move would change her life.

In 1993, she auditioned for the role of FBI agent Dana Scully in Fox Network's new science fiction drama "The X Files". Initially the network people wanted a more established and 'glamourous' actress for the role, but not series creator Chris Carter. He wanted Gillian for the role, because in her he saw the intelligence, seriousness and groundedness he wanted to balance the laid back personality of Fox Mulder (played by David Duchovny). Gillian was only 24 years old, when she landed the role of Dana Scully, a role that would change her life forever. "The X Files" first aired in the summer of 1993 and quickly became a phenomenon.

Fun Fact: When Gillian first auditioned for the role of Scully in "The X Files", she lied about her age, because she thought that 24 years old was not the right age to play a doctor and FBI agent and get away with it. Gillian told the casting people that she was 27 years old. "The X Files" grew out to become one of the biggest franchises in TV history. The original "X Files" series was on TV from 1993 until 2002 (9 seasons, 202 episodes). In 1998, the feature film "The X Files: Fight the Future" was released. It served as a bridge between seasons 5 and 6. In 2008 (6 years after the end of the series) another feature film came out with the name: "The X Files: I Want to Believe". After this the show kept a huge fan following, which eventually led to the series revival with season 10 (2016) and season 11 (2017/2018).

In 1997, Gillian voiced the character of Moro in the English version of Hayo Miyazaki's "Princess Monoke". This must have been a dream come true, because Gillian is a big fan of Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki's work. In 1998, Gillian played the role of Loretta Lee in the coming of age movie "The Mighty", starring Kieran Culkin. Also in 1998, she played in the comedy "Playing by Heart". Gillian plays the role of Meredith in the movie that is also starring Ellen Burstyn, Sean Connery, Dennis Quaid, Angelina Jolie, Madeleine Stowe, Amanda Peet and many more. In 2002, Gillian takes on the role of Lilly Bart in the critically acclaimed costume drama "House of Mirth" (movie adaptation of Edit Wharton's novel with the same name. In 2002, "The X Files" ended and Gillian moved back to London, where she made her West End debut in Michael Weller's play "What the Night is For". In 2005, Gillian entered the world of Charles Dickens, when she played the role of Lady Dedlock in the TV adaptation of Dickens' "Bleak House". Also n 2005, she had a leading role in the Irish movie "The Mighty Celt". For her role as Kate, Gillian wins an IFTA award for Best International Actress. In 2006, Gillian plays the role of Sarah Merrit in "The Last King of Scotland", a critically acclaimed political drama, also starring James McAvoy and Forest Whitaker. 

In 2008, Anderson plays Eleanor Johnson in the biographical comedy "How To Lose Friends and Alienate People", also starring Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst and Megan Fox. In the meantime, Gillian also kept working in West End stage productions. From 2010 until 2013, Gillian played very diverse roles in movies and series, like: "Any Human Heart" (2010, as Wallis Simpson), "Moby Dick" (2011, as Elizabeth), "From Up on Poppy Hill" (2011, voice of Miki Hokuto in the English version), "Johnny English Reborn" (2011, as Pamela) and "Great Expectations" (2011-2012 as Miss Havisham). From 2013 until 2016, Anderson starred as CSI Stella Gibson in the British crime drama series "The Fall". At the same time (from 2013 until 2015), she played Dr. Bedelia Du Marier, who is Hannibal Lecter's psychiatrist in the NBC series "Hannibal". In 2014, she also gets back on stage and gains critical acclaim, with her role as Blanche Dubois in "A Streetcar Named Desire" at the Young Vic Theatre in London. She reprised the role as Blanche in 2016 in New York City. Also in 2016, she plays Anna Pavlovna Scherer in 4 episodes of "War and Peace".

In 2017, Gillian plays the role of goddess Media in the first season of the television adaptation of Neil Gaiman's sci-fi novel "American Gods". In 2019 a whole new generation became fan of Gillian Anderson, when she takes on the role of Jean Milburn in Netflix Original "Sex Education". She steals the show with her amazing portrayal of Otis' mom, a role she would play for 32 episodes from 2019 until 2023. In 2020, Gillian joins the cast of "The Crown" for the role of Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher. In 2022, she takes on the role of former first lady Eleanor Rooseveltnin all 1o episodes of "The First Lady". Most recently she played Emily Maitlis in "Scoop", a 2024 movie about the controversial Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew. In 2024, she played alongside Jason Isaacs in the movie "The Salt Path". Besides being an amazing actress, Gillian has also written several books.

Gillian Anderson will be a guest at Heroes Comic Con Belgium on Saturday and Sunday.

Prices:

Photo op: €130

Autograph: €110

Selfie: €130

Combo (selfie&autograph): €220

Times: 
Q&A Saturday: t.b.a.

Q&A Sunday: t.b.a

Photo op Saturday: t.b.a.

Photo op Sunday: t.b.a.