Chris Owens in Cinefantastique

[b&w photo of Chris Owens in a leather jacket holding Spender�s FBI badge]

Chris Owens believes.

Well, at least in serendipity. After supporting himself for 15 years as a bartender, the Toronto native landed a couple of gigs on TXF. The show�s creator, CC, pegged him as the Young CSM and then as the dancing Mutato.

Nice work, but nothing steady. Until one night, after seeing a movie with a friend, CO found himself on the other side of a bar, drinking a martini. "I didn�t know they served guys with two heads," said a voice belonging to CC, who just happened to be hanging out at that same Vancouver bar. He then said, "Have you heard the good news?"

"That�s how I found out I officially had the job as an FBI agent on The X Files," said CO in a telephone interview from LA. "I had heard rumors that Chris was interested in hiring me to play a new agent on the show and I was thrilled to hear it from him."

So the much-maligned and often-vilified Agent Spender (aka Weasel Boy) was born. CO, 37, moved from Vancouver with TXF when the decision was made last year to start shooting in LA. He now has a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend - a law student - of several years.

Read his XF resume and it is apparent that CO has played rather unattractive and even downright creepy roles. Just look at this history:

His XF experience began in 1996 in an episode as the Young CSM (definitely not a good guy role geared to win the hearts of fans) and reappearing in that role the next year in "Demons." In the part of the Great Mutato, he turned heads as the musically-challenged (big fan of Cher�s) mutant. CC must have liked what he saw. Soon after, Agent Jeffrey Spender began showing up regularly as a likely nemesis to Agents M&S.

To further cement his penchant for portraying bad boys, CO donned a Nazi uniform in the critically-acclaimed "Triangle" episode late last year.

His past acting work includes relatively small parts in the films Disturbing Behavior and Cocktail, as well as television roles in Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story, CC�s other creation, Millennium, and Stargate SG-1. He also appeared in the 1997 television movie Their Second Chance, along with fellow XF bad guy Nicholas Lea (Alex Krycek, AKA Rat Boy). Much of CO�s steady work came from the theater, including playing the role of the Gentleman Caller in The Glass Menagerie.

For many, to know Spender is to loathe him. The young agent comes on board, only to block the heroes at most every turn. JS has no respect for FM and appears to take an active part in the conspiracy. And to top it off - he�s a son of a CSM.

But he�s not all that bad, noted CO. "I like the ambiguity of someone who has gray areas because they are the most interesting characters to play. It�s also closer to real life for me. I know that fans view Spender as a darker character, but I really feel that he�s doing his job in trying to survive in a very strange world," he said. "Sometimes you have to make compromises or sacrifices. I think the reason most people label him a bad guy is because he opposes Mulder, and Mulder and Scully are the heroes of the show. But you have to realize Spender�s background is completely different from Mulder�s. He�s a believer in the paranormal and I am not, so I don�t respect his work. Sensitive guy that he is, he takes it personally."

Although CO�s character is almost universally despised, there are some diehard Spender Defenders out there - and one fan has a web page with that very name.

[photo of Mulder & Nazi Spender in Triangle]

The site eloquently and fervently defends Spender, as well as asks fans not to confuse the character with the actor.

CO especially likes the site�s Chris Owens Estrogen Brigade (COEB). You can imagine the homage it pays to the man - and that beats mixing drinks, said CO, who was delighted to discover the existence of the COEB.

CO was not quite as thrilled when he first got the script for the February two-parter that exposed much of the mythology of TXF. The good news was that JS would be heavily featured, with a focus on the return of his mother, Cassandra Spender (the ex-Mrs. CSM and alien abductee) and conflict with his deadly dad. The bad news involved a bullet with his name on it.

"When I first found out, I thought �Oh my God, he�s killed me.� But it�s ambiguous. There�s definitely a gun and definitely a shot, but we don�t see the body. This leaves the door open for an interpretation," he said. "It could well be a permanent death or a warning shot, a wound. I don�t know at this point what�s going to happen. It might be an X Files death."

So is he dead or not? At the end of two-parter 2F/1S, it looked like it. But CO was under contract to TXF for several more episodes sixth season. What are the chances he�ll be back as an unqualified good guy?

However remote that might seem, it�s a sure thing that CO finds any uncertainty on the show as a definite improvement upon peddling prophylactics. "I worked at Condominium [a condom store in Toronto] for four months. I had had so many years of waitering and I�d spent all my money�I needed a job and the guy was just opening the store," he said. "In the interview, he asked me if I was comfortable talking about sex. I said �Yes, sir.� Advice was part of the job, he wanted people to feel comfortable and relaxed with no pressure."

CO had no problem making customers feel welcome. He even congratulated a group of women who ventured in one day. "I noticed several women shopping and I stepped out and said, �Ladies, I�d like to say it�s wonderful to see you taking the initiative,� Fortunately, they laughed. Women were less embarrassed than men who came in," he said.

The short-lived experience was fun, especially when it came to observing customers. "Men would always come in and ask for extra-large condoms. I wanted to say, �They do stretch, you know,�" said CO, who remembers the glow-in- the-dark condom as a best seller.

Even considering the store discount, his new job offers much more in the way of benefits. "One of the lovely perks of being on the show is that I was invited to the All Star NHL game in Tampa," said CO, an avid hockey player who tries to hit the rink twice a week.

When asked about rumors that he is slated to star in CC�s new virtual reality based drama, Harsh Realm, in the fall, CO said he has not heard any official word. For that, he should just pop into a neighborhood bar for a drink. After all, it worked before.