At 58, actress Gillian Anderson is opening up more candidly about a personal aspect of her life that she has spent years trying to understand, confirming that she identifies as pansexual. The The X-Files and Sex Education star revealed this during a recent conversation with The Australian while discussing her forthcoming book, More, which follows her 2024 collection, Want. During the interview with Nikki Gemmell, Anderson referred to herself as “pan,” explaining that her attraction to people is not limited by gender. Her statement provides a more definite description of an identity she had previously discussed with some hesitation. In a 2024 interview with The New Yorker, she openly considered whether bisexual or pansexual was the more suitable term for her experiences, while stressing that she did not want to adopt a label until she felt certain it fit. Her recent remarks bring greater clarity to something she has been reflecting on publicly for several years.
Anderson has consistently spoken openly about love, desire, and relationships, including sharing details about previous relationships with women. She has also emphasized that being involved with a man does not define or limit the range of people she might find attractive. The actress has been linked romantically to playwright and screenwriter Peter Morgan, though the possibility of a relationship does not alter the way she identifies her sexuality. Her growing willingness to discuss these topics has developed alongside her professional career, especially through her portrayal of Jean Milburn, the sex therapist in Netflix’s Sex Education. Playing the character helped her feel increasingly at ease discussing intimacy and desire in public. Now, while promoting More, a collection of anonymous sexual fantasies submitted by women, Anderson is exploring these subjects through another creative project. However, she has also indicated that this stage of her life may be approaching its conclusion.
Anderson’s recent work demonstrates her ongoing fascination with how people discover their desires and find ways to express them. More builds on the success of Want, released in 2024, which examined women’s private fantasies. In addition to her writing, Anderson is appearing in the film Miasma, another significant commitment as she thinks about her future direction. Although conversations about sexuality can become mixed up with public speculation about romantic relationships, Anderson’s statements focus on her personal understanding of attraction rather than any particular partner. Her revelation reflects her own experience and does not suggest that everyone should identify in the same way. Unlike matters involving an attorney, an estate, a mortgage, insurance, or an investment, personal identity cannot be determined by documents or a legal ruling; ultimately, each individual has the right to choose the words that best describe them.
Looking toward the future, Anderson seems prepared to explore a new direction after dedicating years to examining sexuality and intimacy through her acting and writing. Discussing the timing of her current projects, she told The Australian, “Once this book is done and once this film [Miasma] is done, I feel like… it might be the end of this chapter of my life.” Her words do not necessarily indicate that she intends to stop acting or writing completely, but they suggest she is considering how her creative interests and priorities might change. For admirers who have followed her career since 1986, this latest revelation provides another insight into an actress who is willing to discuss her personal experiences honestly. Her journey also highlights that self-understanding can develop over time, and discovering the most appropriate words to describe oneself is not always immediate.