David Duchovny is opening up about "discovering" Angelina Jolie in a new interview while promoting his new podcast Fail Better.
Jolie had starred in a few low-budget films short films and music videos before her first starring role in 1995's Hackers.
After roles in Without Evidence, Love Is All There Is, Foxfire, Mojave Moon and the George Wallace mini-series she starred with Duchovny in 1997's Playing God.
The actor – who opened up about working too much when his kids were young – was asked about starring alongside the then-little-known Jolie in Playing God on Sirius XM's Radio Andy, where Duchovny opened up about the audition.
Host Andy Cohen started naming a number of Duchovny's co-stars and asked him to say the first thing that came to mind upon hearing their names.
David Duchovny is opening up about "discovering" Angelina Jolie in a new interview while promoting his new podcast Fail Better
After roles in Without Evidence, Love Is All There Is, Foxfire, Mojave Moon and the George Wallace mini-series she starred with Duchovny in 1997's Playing God.
The actor was asked about starring alongside the then-little-known Jolie in Playing God on Sirius XM's Radio Andy , where Duchovny opened up about the audition.
When Cohen mentioned Jolie, 49, Duchovny said, 'I feel like I discovered Angelina Jolie,' which surprised Cohen.
'Yeah, I was casting… I was part of the casting… I didn't discover her, but she came in and I just knew she was a movie star,' Duchovny explained.
'I told everybody, "We've gotta cast her,"' Duchovny added, and they heeded his advice, with Jolie playing Claire.
The role marked Duchovny's first feature film starring role after his monumental success on Fox's The X-Files TV series.
The story followed his character Dr. Eugene Sands, a once-prominent surgeon who had his medical license revoked after it was learned he was operating under the influence of illegal drugs.
After saving somebody's life in a bar, a crime lord (Timothy Hutton) hires him as his personal physician to patch up his men when they are hurt and can't go to the hospital.
Jolie plays the crime lord's girlfriend Claire, who ultimately becomes romantically involved with Dr. Sands.
The film opened to just $1.9 million and made just $4.1 million through its brief box office run.
When Cohen mentioned Jolie, 49, Duchovny said, 'I feel like I discovered Angelina Jolie,' which surprised Cohen
'Yeah, I was casting… I was part of the casting… I didn't discover her, but she came in and I just knew she was a movie star,' Duchovny explained.
She met her next husband – Brad Pitt – just a few years later when they started filming the 2005 husband and wife assassin film Mr. And Mrs. Smith
Jolie kept working in Pushing Tin (where she met one-time husband Billy Bob Thornton), Gia, Hell's Kitchen and The Bone Collector before her Oscar-nominated turn in Girl, Interrupted alongside Winona Ryder.
She catapulted to global fame by playing the title character in the 2001 video game adaptation Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.
She met her next husband – Brad Pitt – just a few years later when they started filming the 2005 husband and wife assassin film Mr. And Mrs. Smith.
Duchovny launched his Fail Better podcast on May 7, and has featured guests such as Bette Midler, Sarah Silverman, Sean Penn and Tony Hawk.
