The View, November 13, 2003 (transcript of interview)

THE VIEW – TRANSCRIPT OF MARG’S INTERVIEW

ABC Television

November 13, 2003

Meredith: One of the things Marg Helgenberger has to investigate on the show ‘CSI’ are the conversations that she has on the job. Take a look

(Clip from CSI is shown)

Meredith: I don’t know I have not tried it ( referring to the clip where Catherine says “I’m not about to bop a six foot weasel). Please Welcome Marg Helgenberger!
Marg: Hello, Hi
Elizabeth: Hi
Joy: Hi Marg, how are you honey?
Marg: Good to see you.
Star: Hi honey, good to see you.
Meredith: Welcome back.
Marg: Thank you. Great to be back!
Meredith: Six foot weasel, Ooof.
Star: Freud was a freak.
Marg: Yeah, That episode was really a riot to do actually.
Meredith: What do you think? We were talking about…Oh, go finish up. What were you saying? Why was that a riot to you?
Marg: Oh it…just because I had some really fun one liners and this chance to explore this very bizarre subculture known as plushies and furries, that these people who really sort of…
Meredith: I read an article. They go to conventions dressed up as animals. It’s true.
Marg: Yeah and they relate to one another. They choose particular animals…that they…lots of… with tails. It’s bizarre.
Joy: Wow.
Meredith: It’s a whole ‘nother world out there.
Marg: Yeah, Yeah.
Star: One that I don’t want to meet.
Marg: (laughs) No you don’t. Because we had some of them as extras and it was (laughs)
Meredith: You had the real ones?
Joy: The real people?
Marg: Yes we did.
Joy: What are they like?
Marg: Odd
Joy: Creepy
Marg: Very odd
Meredith: Did any of them come on to you? Like did the weasel?
Marg: No. They are very kind of shy reclusive kind of people and I think this was a way for them to kind of hook up.
Joy: Right
Star: Stephanie (points to a lady out in the audience), you cannot dress as a weasel when you come to my house.
Marg (Laughs)
Star: I’m telling you right now.
Marg: As a tiger maybe.

Meredith: Four seasons now with ‘CSI.’ Fourth season.
Marg: Four, I can’t believe it.
Elizabeth: Wow, that’s great.
Joy: That’s pretty good.
Star: and it’s the #1 show
Marg: It is. It is.
Meredith: Do you think at this point with all the experience you have had as a forensic scientist on television, if you were to go to a crime scene now, you could pass yourself off as an expert? Do you think you could?
Marg: Well, with all due respect to the real criminalists, I’d have to say no. But I, between the time I took this job and rode with a criminalist and the time I rode with a criminalist after 2 seasons. I was, you know, I knew so much more. And I could actually say, well did you check this out and did you check this out? And I actually sort of helped solve or gather evidence with one of the criminalists on a crime scene.
Elizabeth: So you went with a real one?
Meredith: A real crime scene…?
Marg: Yeah, a couple actually.
Joy: But if you in your personal life, like if you’re on a date nothing grosses you out anymore. A guy could vomit, I mean really.
Marg: No, that still grosses me out.
Joy: Does it really? So you have not gotten use to the disgustingness of life?
Marg: No, because that is all like prosthetics and it’s fake this and fake that.
Star: But is still looks weird to us, Marg. That’s what I was gonna ask you. Your writers, they must be…
Marg: Twisted
Star: Strange, twisted human beings because they come up with some of the most gruesome plot lines that I have ever seen on television. And worst are the floaters. Anytime you all find anybody in any water that freaks me completely out.
Marg: Yeah. We had a bloated floater…there was one – we had an episode in which when we walked in the house, the crime scene, we were handed umbrellas by the detectives and it was raining. Turned out the guy was in a tub that had overflowed. So my line was, ‘It’s raining man juice?’
All: EEWW
Marg: Yeah, I know.
Elizabeth: Oh, that’s awful
Marg: Just the sensorama. And that was a particularly brilliant prosthetic piece that the make-up artist had done.
Star: Double nasty.
Marg: Double nasty. Even knowing it was fake, it was hard to look at.

Star: Well something that is not double nasty, but I know you always get embarrassed when you talk about it. You know you have been called the Sexiest redhead ever on television.
Marg: Ever? Wow!
Star: Yeah, Well you are the sexiest redhead. Well the quote is “the sexiest redhead on network television.
Marg: I’ll take that. I don’t know if there is a whole lot on us on it. But…
Elizabeth: I’ll take that anyday.
Star: Now I understand, I mean, I did not know this, that you were a brunette before, for a project.
Marg: Yes. I dyed my hair once for…to play Patsy Ramsey, JonBenet’s mother.
Star: That’s right.

(Picture of Marg as Patsy Ramsey shown)

Marg: Yeah, for a mini series called ‘Perfect Murder, Perfect Town’ and it was bizarre going that dark in my personal life. Having to obviously…
Joy: Did people recognize you?
Marg: No
Joy: They didn’t?
Marg: They didn’t, No. And I actually got called ma’am a lot more, which was a bummer.
Joy: Maybe they realized you looked like Patsy and were scared to talk to you.
Marg: In fact, we shot some of it in Boulder. You know where it took place. And in-between takes, I remember walking around as Patsy Ramsey and just kind of freaking a few out. She always wore like plaids and Talbot clothes.
Elizabeth: That would be a little scary.
Marg: Yeah.
Star: That’s why they called you ma’am.
Marg: (Laughs)
Star: A woman with dark hair and plaids, you get called ma’am
Marg: (laughs)
Elizabeth: Now you can throw some pretty good parties. I understand you threw a pretty good one just a couple weeks ago for some young people.
Marg: I did. My son Hughie turned 13

(Picture of Marg and Hughie shown)

Marg: Yeah. He was barmitzvahed.
Elizabeth: Congratulations.
Star: He’s a redhead.
Marg: He is a redhead.
Elizabeth: He’s darling.
Marg: Yes. He’s a good boy.
Joy: Does this mean this is natural? (points to Marg’s hair)
Marg: Yeah. In fact, a lot of my family from Nebraska was visiting and everyone was saying, ‘Well that’s Marg’s relative’ because they are all strawberry blondes and redheads. But it was a great party. He did a great job.
Meredith: That’s a very emotional time for a parent. It really is.
Elizabeth: Congratulations.
Marg: Yeah. Having all the family there and the party was awesome if I do say so myself.
Meredith: Now did you throw candy at him? I went to a barmitzvah recently and everybody…
Marg: Yes
Meredith: You did?
Marg: Yes, pelted. These kids were pelting. I was like this (Marg holds hand in front of face) ‘hang on a second here.’
Meredith: I was eating the candy. I didn’t realize you were supposed to throw the candy. So I am glad it is done more.
Marg: Well the Rabbi said, ‘That’s not to eat. It’s to shower the child with sweetness.’
Joy: Hard Candy?
Marg: No, no,no. Those little gummy deals.
Star: Those things hurt.
Marg: Yeah, they did.
Meredith: Give your husband our best.
Marg: I will. Alan…
Meredith: Alan Rosenberg

(Picture of Marg and Alan shown)

Marg: The Guardian, Tuesday nights.
Meredith: Our thanks to Marg Helgenberger. ‘CSI’ airs Thursday nights. We’ll be right back.

*Special thanks to fox1 for transcribing this interview for AAM.