David Duchovny auditioned (and failed) for a lead role on Full House

David Duchovny revealed to Jimmy Kimmel last night that he auditioned for all three adult male roles on Full House, but the producers weren’t interested.

David Duchovny as Uncle Jesse? It almost happened!

Last night, Duchovny paid a visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live to help promote the Season 11 premiere of The X-Files on FOX. But in addition to talking about Duchovny’s current prospects, the actor opened up about his early days in the business as well. And with that came revelation that’s honestly pretty amusing to think about.

In the interview, Duchovny reveals that he tried to get a role on Full House. And not just one role — Duchovny read for Danny Tanner, Uncle Joey, and Uncle Jesse. He really wanted a role on the family sitcom. But he just didn’t wow the producers the same way Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, and John Stamos had.

From the interview:

"“I had actually auditioned for all three parts, and they couldn’t figure out how to use me. All they could figure out is that they did not want to use me.”"

Obviously, things would work our for Duchovny soon enough, and it’s all for the best that he’d become Fox Mulder rather than Joey Gladstone. But to know just how close the opposite came to be is really amusing! Just think, Duchovny would be coming back for Fuller House on Netflix instead of Season 11 of The X-Files…

Next: Black Mirror director talks USS Callister spin-off

Season 11 of The X-Files premieres Jan 3. 2018 on FOX. New episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live air weeknights at 11:35 PM EST on ABC.