I mean, you always want everybody to pat you on the back and tell you you're wonderful every time you do something; I think that's human nature.

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.