There was not a dry tear in the room when actor Mitch Pileggi spoke about his father during the 'X-Files' panel at the recent New York Comic-Con.
The man who plays Mulder and Scully's superior, FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner, admitted that his character was inspired by his own father. In an interview with CBR, the 'X-Files' star shared how he realized the similarity between Skinner and his dad.
"When my brothers and sister and mom mentioned it to me, it stunned me for a second, and then I went and sat and watched an episode, and said, 'That's Dad,'" Pileggi said. "He wore the white shirts, the glasses, and he was bald. He had a very, very strong personality and a very strong sense of himself, and I think those are things Skinner has."
Mitch Pileggi also agreed that the new reboot couldn't come at a more perfect time, story-wise.
"It's a lot of material for [show creator Chris Carter] to feed off of as far as writing these new stories," he said. "There is so much available to him with all conspiracies, all the government stuff. I mean, there's some bad s--t going on out there, so I think it really lends itself to storylines for this show."
It's no surprise that Mitch Pileggi knows a lot about conspiracy theory, since the actor also admitted he has worked for the Department of Defense.
"I worked in the Middle East," he said. "I worked for the DOD in the Middle East, I worked for contractors to the DOD, so I know what that situation's like, and I know that human nature is not good."
And it looks like the theme has found its way into the 'X-Files' storyline, as Mitch Pileggi readily confirms.
"We're the only species that slaughters its own kind by the millions - by the millions!" Pileggi said. "What does that say about us? Go online. Go to comments sections; see how people talk to each other. See how people deal with each other on a daily basis. It's really ugly. Why can't we just be nice to each other? It's not in our nature. Anyway, that's a whole thing."
'The X-Files' reboot will premiere on Fox on January 25, 2016.