“Files do become declassified after a certain amount of time, …” Duchovny explained to a small group of journalists. He said eventually the truth comes out. “And to me, that’s a very interesting field of, of inquiry, you know, that these are not fictional events, these are real events that have been classified for a long time, 50 years, so [it’s] a fascinating bit of history to me.”

Today many previously classified files are now being declassified. The assassination of President Kennedy is only one of the most recent declassifications.

Some of the stories that have really touched him are those dealing with the possibilities of horrific disasters. “These are declassified documents. And yes there’s numerous stories of encroaching upon mutually assured destruction and nuclear Armageddon and things like that, that we’re just [finding out and] avoided by a hair’s breadth. I’m glad I didn’t know at the time. I’m glad I only found out when crisis was averted,” he said with a bit of whimsy.

Avoiding worldwide destruction is what stands out in his mind throughout this experience. “Just the fact that we haven’t blown ourselves up. That’s pretty hopeful when you realize how many times we’ve gotten close to it. That’s the nuclear option. I don’t know about AI, you know, that’s like the next big weapon, I suppose. I’m hopeful that we’re able to approach our growing technological abilities with a sense of humility and morality.”

While Duchovny has been acting and writing for decades, he admitted narrating these shows is just as entertaining and satisfying to him.

“I think at the base of all that I’ve tried to do as an actor, a writer, whatever, has been curiosity about human nature and about story. And, the more I do this, the more I realize how important storytelling is for humanity.”

Duchovny began his screen acting career almost 40 years ago. He appeared in many series and movies, but his big break came in 1992 when he starred in the TV series “Red Shoe Diaries.”

In 1993 he really hit the top with his role of Fox Mulder in “The X-Files,” which ran from 1993-2018. He continued acting in TV shows and films, and in 2007 he again had a hit with “Californication.”

Besides acting and writing, Duchovny also directed several TV episodes as well as films.

He acknowledged his interactions with fans who approach him now are quite different than when he was on “The X-Files” when he had to explain to them that those stories were made up. “None of this is made up. These are declassified documents, so it’s much easier for me to have a fan interaction now, because they never used to believe me when I say it was made up,” referring to his former shows.

The bottom line for him is storytelling. Whether the stories are fact or fiction, David Duchovny puts his heart into everything he does.

“Secrets Declassified with David Duchovny” can be seen on HISTORY and streamed on the HISTORY App, and also on Hulu.