BEHIND CSI SCENES WITH MARG
September 2002
CBS The Early Show
(CBS) When the third season of “C.S.I. – Crime Scene Investigation” premiered last week, more than 30 million viewers tuned in, making it the most watched drama on television.
Emmy-winning actress Marg Helgenberger stars as a forensic expert who solves crimes with science. Recently, she spoke with Early Show’s Julie Chen on the set in Los Angeles.
“C.S.I.” mixes whiz-bang science with a good old-fashioned whodunit in a formula that makes for great storytelling. But these storylines often mirror real crimes.
“Whatever the case may be, I’m always somewhat affected by how this poor person met their demise. You know, even though it is more of a make-believe, you can’t help but have some compassion for what their last few minutes were like, especially their last few seconds,” said Helgenberger.
Is Helgenberger a fan of scary movies?
“I remember liking scary movies a lot when I was a child. I just loved a good creep,” she said. “It is a dark show and the shows that I sort of like, are more intrigued with, are the episodes that incorporate a lot of black humor.”
And when asked if she ever gets nightmares that have to do with the storylines she’s working on, Helgenberger said occasionally she does.
To gain more insight into her role as a crime scene investigator, Helgenberger recently paid a visit to a morgue.
“I don’t even know how to describe it. You’re just faced with life and death right here, she said, putting her hand in front of her face. It’s just the, the fragility of life and the illusiveness of it. It’s just in your face,” she said.
Helgenberger is married to fellow actor Alan Rosenberg, one of the stars on CBS “The Guardian.” They first met nearly 20 years ago. Helgenberger recalled the day they reconnected in 1985.
“Alan sauntered up and he was so cute-looking, you know. He’s running his hands through his hair, going, ‘Remember me?’” And boy she did. “Cause I thought he was so cute and so sweet and a lot of fun. We exchanged numbers and I called him,” Helgenberger said she let three or four days pass before she called him, but he did not call back.
“He claims he was too shy. And he was driving this beat-up ’66 Bonneville convertible and I guess he was afraid to show up- you know, honk, honk! Hop in! Ha, ha. Move the crap over and take a seat,” Helgenberger said.
“C.S.I.” focuses on high-tech sleuthing and rarely strays into the private lives of the characters. However, if Helgenberger had her way, she just might have a love interest. When asked whom she would cast, Helgenberger said Al Pacino. “How about that. You think Al’s available?”
Helgenberger also told Chen she’d be interested in a love interest between her character and one of her cast mates. But hard as she tried, Helgenberger refused to name names.
“C.S.I” airs Thursday night at 9 p.m.ET/PT on CBS.