"X-Files" star Gillian Anderson says she was offered the part of Lady Cora Crawley, currently played by Elizabeth McGovern, on "Downton Abbey," reports The Huffington Post.

Asked in an interview with TV Guide Magazine whether her next project — an adaptation of "Great Expectations" — would be helped by the success of "Downton," she replied, "Hopefully people will embrace it with the same love that flowed toward ‘Downton Abbey.’ I was actually offered a part in ‘Downton,’" according to the story.

The article doesn’t say why she didn’t take the role.

Anderson has acted in many European projects, including 2006’s "Bleak House" and in her role as Miss Havisham in "Great Expectations," which will air on PBS on April 1, the story notes.