Meet David Duchovny and Téa Leoni’s daughter, West Duchovny: the talented 25-year-old actress has starred in Netflix’s The X Files and Saint X, and sports Chanel, Dior and Loewe outfits on her Insta

• 'Maybe I was a good parent, because my kids are great people,' David Duchovny recently said of his children West, 25, and Kyd, 21 - whom he shares with ex-wife Tea Leoni
• West Duchovny has followed her parents into acting, and even made an appearance in a 2018 episode of the show that made her dad famous, The X Files

David Duchovny recently opened up about parenthood in an interview with People.

"I'll always feel inadequate [as a parent]," he told the publication in June. "Maybe I was a good parent, because my kids are great people, and they probably want to think of me as a good parent, too. They don't want to think of me as a failure. I'm sure I've done bad things, I'm sure I've made mistakes, but we all have. So, I try and give myself more of a break."

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Duchovny has two children: West, 25, and Kyd, 21, whom he shares with ex-wife Tea Leoni, per People. "I felt unconditionally loved by my children ... and I love them unconditionally," he added. "Just them being in the world has taught me that feeling from both sides, and I don't think there's anything deeper or more meaningful than that."

For those who have been keeping up with Duchovny's family life, West has broken into Hollywood and is already one of the industry's up-and-coming actresses to watch. Here's what we know about her:

West Duchovny is Hollywood royalty

West Duchovny is 25 years old. Photo: @westduchovny/Instagram

West Duchovny has famous parents, being the daughter of The X Files alum David Duchovny and Fun with Dick and Jane actress Tea Leoni.

According to WWD, she grew up in California before moving to New York with her family at age 10. "Which I was very upset about at the time," she told the publication in 2023. "Now I'm very grateful for it."

She's followed in her parents' acting footsteps

West Duchovny made a cameo in a 2018 episode of the show that made her father famous, The X Files. Photo: @westduchovny/Instagram

Despite being in her mid-20s, West is already making a name for herself in showbiz. As seen on her IMDB, she has starred in films and TV shows including The Magicians, A Mouthful of Air with Amanda Seyfried, Saint X, and Netflix's Painkiller. She even made a cameo in a 2018 episode of The X Files, adds the source.

She was considering a career in medicine

West Duchovny says it took her parents time to take her seriously as an actress. Photo: @westduchovny/Instagram

Before getting into acting, West was considering doing a premedical undergraduate course, according to Elle magazine. However, she ended up studying English at Brown University instead, per the article.

"I stayed so far away from acting for most of my life ... I did a play right before college just for fun and was so confused," she explained to the magazine. "I've never felt this way about anything. I never felt so effortlessly passionate about something. I had all these things and endeavours that I was pursuing, but it didn't feel natural in the way that it did when I acted. My parents were shocked. They were like, did not see it coming."

After talking with her parents about it, they eventually got on board, as she shared in another interview with WWD. "Now I'll call [mum] if I want advice - they're both super supportive now. I think it just took them a little bit to take me seriously."

She enjoys playing women she can identify with

West Duchovny in Chanel at a Tribeca film festival event. Photo: @westduchovny/Instagram

When it comes to acting roles, West told WWD that she is keen on playing young women who are experiencing feelings that she might be familiar with. "You're coming of age, and that's complicated," she noted. "The commonality is just this cacophony of fear and motivation and desire and self-consciousness. All the things. It's fun for me to explore like, 'OK, if we're all feeling this all the time, how does it manifest? How does it come out for one person to the other?'"

She shares snippets of her life on Instagram

West seems quite open about her background and work, from doing interviews to sharing snaps of her fashionable life on Instagram. So far on the platform she's posted pics of herself rocking outfits from Chanel, Dior and Loewe.

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