At 58, actress Gillian Anderson is speaking more openly about a personal part of her life that she has spent years exploring, revealing that she identifies as pansexual. The The X-Files and sex education star shared the news during a recent interview with The Australian while discussing her upcoming book, More, a follow-up to her 2024 collection Want. Speaking with interviewer Nikki Gemmell, Anderson described herself as “pan,” explaining that she is attracted to people regardless of their gender. The announcement marks a clearer description of an identity she had previously discussed with some uncertainty. In a 2024 interview with The New Yorker, she had wondered aloud whether bisexual or pansexual best described her experiences, while emphasizing that she did not want to claim a label before feeling comfortable with it. Her latest comments offer a more definite answer to a question she has considered publicly for years.
Anderson has long approached conversations about love, desire, and relationships with openness, including discussing past relationships with women. She has also made clear that having a male partner does not determine the full scope of her potential attractions. The actress has been rumored to be romantically involved with playwright and screenwriter Peter Morgan, although the possibility of a relationship does not change how she describes her sexuality. Her willingness to discuss these subjects has grown alongside her work, particularly through her role as Jean Milburn, the sex therapist in Netflix’s Sex Education. That experience helped her become more comfortable talking publicly about intimacy and desire. Now, as she promotes More, a collection of anonymous sexual fantasies submitted by women, Anderson is bringing those themes into another creative chapter—but she has also suggested that this period of her life may soon be coming to a close.
The actress’s latest projects reflect her continuing interest in how people understand their desires and express themselves. More follows the success of Want, which was published in 2024 and explored women’s private fantasies. Alongside her writing, Anderson is starring in the film Miasma, another major commitment as she considers what comes next. While discussions of sexuality can sometimes become entangled with public assumptions about relationships, Anderson’s comments center on her own understanding of attraction rather than on any single partner. Her announcement is personal, not a declaration that others must use the same label. Unlike matters involving an attorney, an estate, a mortgage, insurance, or an investment, questions of identity cannot be settled through paperwork or a court decision; the words people choose to describe themselves are ultimately their own.
As Anderson looks ahead, she appears ready to leave room for a different direction after years spent exploring sexuality and intimacy through books and screen roles. Reflecting on the timing of her 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.” The remark does not necessarily mean she is stepping away from acting or writing altogether, but it suggests she is thinking carefully about how her creative priorities may evolve. For fans who have followed her career since 1986, her latest revelation offers another glimpse of an actress willing to speak candidly about her experiences. At the same time, her story serves as a reminder that understanding oneself can be an ongoing process, and that finding the right words may take time.