BODY WORK
Unknown UK TV Magazine
January 2005
by Jenny Eden
Actress Marg Helgenberger returns as forensic ace Catherine Willows in a new series of the hit drama.
The crime series that’s made forensic science sexy is back. And its latest spin-off – CSI: NY, starring Gary Sinise – also starts next week on Five.
No one is more delighted with the success of CSI – now in its fifth series – than Marg Helgenberger, who plays forensics expert Catherine Willows. “Many shows have ripped us off. I think we have to keep setting the bar higher,” says Marg, 46.
In the opening episode, Catherine investigates the possible murder of a stripper, who dies with a tourist. Meanwhile, Nick (George Eads) and Sara (Jorja Fox) deal with the eerie case of what appears to be the dead body of an alien.
Later in the new 23-part series, Catherine gets a promotion after years of loyally working for her boss Gil Grissom (William Petersen), but the new job causes power struggle with some of the team. She also has to cope with her teenage daughter Lindsey rebelling. “I think we’ll be seeing different sides to Catherine,” says Marg, who lives in L.A. with her actor husband Alan Rosenberg and their 14-year-old son, Hughie. “But I want to make sure that I do right by the character.”
Marg says she’s touched by fans’ reaction to Catherine. “Mothers come up to me and say their daughter wants to become a forensics expert because of her,” she says. But the actress admits she couldn’t do her character’s job in real life. “I went to the morgue for research and there were corpses everywhere,” she says. “The coroner told me even big bulky cops who come to the mortuary sometimes pass out.”
Thanks to Kelly Willows for transcribing this article. A scan of it can also be found here
