"When I auditioned, they didn't ask me did I smoke? Could I smoke? Had I ever smoked?" says William B. Davis, who puffs to perfection as the sinister Cigarette-Smoking Man on Fox's The X-Files. "Actually, I used to be a smoker. It brings back memories, and I know how to do it. These are herbal cigarettes. Awful, but not addictive. They drive the wardrobe people crazy, though, because they ash a lot, and [stagehands] are constantly having to clean me up."
Davis didn't expect to earn kudos when he first landed what was originally a non-speaking role on the series. "As I understood it, the part was for a powerful sinister figure in the background who would probably never even emerge," says Davis, a competetive water-skier in his time off the set. "But through the seasons, fans have liked the character, and [the producers] have given me more to do. To me it is much more interesting as we expand the dimensions of the character, and I look forward to doing that more in the coming season." † The talented performer, who is single and says he likes to cook for his dates, was born into a theatrical family. His cousins, Donald and Murray Davis, founded Toronto's Crest Theatre and the summer-stock group Straw Hat Players. When the scripts called for a tyke, Davis would charge up to the stage. "When I started acting as a kid I didn't know what I was doing," says Davis. "It was a game kids played. It didn't seem like a way for a grown-up to make a living. It was child's play, and it seemed like much more serious work to be a director. Once I got into directing and found out what it was to be an actor, I realized it wasn't child's play at all. It was a craft to be learned. It has been a real pleasure to come back to it and approach it with some measure of craft." |
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‡ Smoking Man's Smoked Gouda and Apple Baguette
2 baguettes, cut in half vertically Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place baguettes crust side down on foil. Distribute 3 oz. of Gouda cheese evenly across inside of each baguette half. Broil 1 minute or until cheese begins to bubble. Top with alternating types of apple. Sprinkle almonds on top. Serves 4. |