BEVERLY HILLS - Gillian Anderson says getting back into Dana Scully's character for The X-Files: I Want to Believe was harder than she expected.

"It was a little odd," Anderson told 9NEWS Entertainment Reporter Kirk Montgomery during a visit to California. "It was more disconcerting than I anticipated. I expected it to be a breeze. But I tried so hard since the series ended to do things as different as possible from the character."

"When I was faced with making acting decisions on that character again, my brain started backfiring and internally combusting," she said.

Anderson, who is pregnant with her third child, says she has also been spending time buying and selling houses in London, California, Canada and elsewhere.

When asked about Fox Mulder, a character he left seven years ago and met again in December, co-star David Duchovny said, "Time has stood still."

"X-Files" Creator Chris Carter says the characters of John Doggett (Robert Patrick) and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), lead characters in the series final seasons, were discussed, but ultimately did not end up in this film.

"We wanted to focus on Mulder and Scully this time around," said Carter, adding there may be a way to incorporate them in future films.

Both Anderson and Duchovny have avoided type casting, which is common after starring in a genre television series.

"Are you kidding?" laughed Anderson. "I just wanted to pay rent," when asked if there was any reluctance about taking the role in 1993.

"The X-Files" ran from 1993 to 2002 on Fox. The X-Files: I Want to Believe is the second feature film spun off from the paranormal series.

The movie will be in theaters July 25.