I feel I have to work hard to nurture whatever talent I have as an actor. I feel like it's not natural to me. So I don't take it for granted... What I think is my natural ability - which is writing - I think I totally take that for granted.

In the final episode of the series he performed a parody of Sharon Stone's 'flashing' scene from Basic Instinct and a parody of "Dr. He had a recurring role as a transvestite DEA agent on the series Twin Peaks and played the narrator/host in the long-running Showtime erotica/softcore TV series Red Shoe Diaries. In 2000 he starred in the feature film Return to Me a romantic comedy/drama directed by Bonnie Hunt and co-starring Minnie Driver and Carroll O'Connor.

He is best known for playing Fox Mulder on The X-Files and Hank Moody on Californication both of which have earned him Golden Globe awards.