THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW
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September 20, 2006
David: Our next guest stars on the hugely popular CSI program which begins its seventh season tomorrow night right here on CBS. Please welcome the lovely Marg Helgenberger!
David: You look wonderful.
Marg: Thank you.
David: Absolutely tremendous. Itâs hard for me to believe youâre beginning your seventh season on the show. Itâs remarkable, isnât it?
Marg: Itâs hard for me to believe as well, yes. It goes by quickly.
David: And the seventh season must differ altogether from the first season, right? I mean, in terms of how it feels and the familiarity and the excitement. Itâs all a little different, isnât it?
Marg: Itâs a little different. I think weâre all a little more relaxed, a little more comfortable in what weâre doing. We shoot a lot in Vegas, and in fact, the last time we were in Vegas, you know â things happen in Vegas that wouldnât happen in Los Angeles. We found ourselvesâŠbecause we always shoot, like, way into the early mornings â 3, 4, 5 whatever. We all ended up, the last night, ended up at the MGM Grand Bar where the crew was staying and I think it was two cast members, myself and Scott Wilson, and uh, you know, you end up imbibing, and, you know, itâs late and the next thing you know, youâre having a tattoo/body piercing partyâŠ
David: Really?
Marg: Viewing party, I should say.
David: Whoa! Hold it! Wait just a minute.
Marg: I donât have either, butâŠ
David: AhâŠ
David: So this, the crew, everybody gets a little too friendly. Is that what happened?
Marg: Well, I mean, yes.
David: What did you see?
Marg: Well, it was mostly guysâŠ
David: What were people showing you?
Marg: Oh, well, letâs see. I guess the best one was probably flames around nipples. That wasâŠ
David (stuttering and coughing)
Marg: It was on a man!
David: Whoa!
Marg: It was on a guy. Yeah. But thereâs this kind of bonding experience after that point, and the next time I saw him on the set, you know, it was like that moment when you see somebody after youâve slept with them â itâs like a⊠(Marg makes a salute-like gesture and starts laughing).
David: Iâm not sure what youâre talking about. (Marg and the audience laugh).
Marg: RightâŠ
David: But, honestly, a guy goes into a tattoo place and says âYou know what I would like. You know what I think would be good, flames around the nipples.
Marg: And he said he did it when he was 18! Can you imagine? If that was my son, I think I would have just, I donât know, called it a day then and just kicked him out of the house.
David: What is the symbolism of that exactly? What does that represent?
Marg: I donât know. Youâd have to askâŠIâll ask him.
David: Heartburn? (Marg laughs). I mean, honest to God, what are we talking about here?
Marg: I know! Itâs, you know, an 18-year old person who was probably drunk.
David: ButâŠso, primarily, the show is shot in Los Angeles. Every now and then, you go to Las Vegas. Is that what it is?
Marg: Thatâs right, yes.
David: And youâre from the Midwest. Iâm thinking itâs Nebraska.
Marg: Thatâs right! Yes, yes.
David: And big football fans?
Marg: Oh my God, itâs a religion!
David: CornhuskersâŠ
Marg: The Cornhusker football team. Itâs a religion. In fact, many of my family and friends came out just this last weekend because Nebraska played USC for the first time since 1970, and my mother claims there was a pilgrimage of about 80,000 fans. Youâd believe it once you saw that stadium. And IâŠit was the hardest ticket to score! I was able to pull strings through CBS and I got four tickets in the USC faculty section. And my mother, my stepfather, and my son, we all were sitting there, and it was actually exciting because itâs at the coliseum, and the USC Marching Band is really fun. And the fans actually were doing this gesture (makes what looks like a peace sign and stops waving it back and forth), you know, which I just assumedâŠ
David: The USC fans were doing this?
Marg: Yes, Iâm sorry. The USC fans were doing this.
David: Sure. Right.
Marg: Which I just assumed was âVictory,â and my mother kept saying âWhat is that?â because she has to know everythingâŠ
David: I donât know what it is either. I donâtâ know what this means.
Marg: Well, it turns out, because we were in the faculty section, my mother saysâŠwell, she had to get to the bottom of it, right? We found out itâs part of Trojan folklore dating back to Ancient Greece when the Trojans were fighting the Spartans and when they were battling each other with bows and arrows, they would chop off the two fingers of the soldiers they had captured so that they could no longer use their bow and arrows. And then theyâd taunt their victims like this (makes the gesture again). And once my mother found out, she goes âThat really makes me mad now!â that these USC fans were going like this toâŠ(Marg and Dave laugh).
Marg: My mother, who had her toes painted, like, with Nebraska and footballs on her big toes. I swear to God! And her red jacket, andâŠ
David: What was the outcome of the contest?
Marg: Well, sadly, it didnât go in our favor, but you knowâŠ
David: USC rolls on.
Marg: Thatâs right, thatâs right. Yes.
David: Now you had aâŠwhatâs your hometown in Nebraska?
Marg: North Bend, Nebraska.
David: Where is North Bend?
Marg: Itâs about 60 miles west of Omaha, on the Platte River, and yes, my hometown.
David: Is it beautiful there?
Marg: It actually is. Itâs farm country.
David: Is it rolling or just table flat?
Marg: Well, itâs mostly flat but a little rolling here and there. But, you know, corn fields, wheat fields, soybean fields.
David: Sounds lovely. Endless horizon?
Marg: Yes! Yes, the sunsets are beautiful. SkiesâŠbig sky, yes.
David: Recently, they presented you with, I think, a very lovely honor.
Marg: Thank you.
David: And when we come back, weâll talk more about that. Marg Helgenberger, everybody!
(commercial break)
David: So weâre back there in North Bend, Nebraska, and they call you up. Was it the mayor? Was it the governor of the state? How did you hear about this?
Marg: Well, my hometown, North Bend, population 1,200, was having their 105th anniversary of the founding of theâŠwhich is the Sesquicentennial, I think is how you say it. Anyway, they wanted me to come back to be a part of that, and they wanted to honor me with naming a street after me, Helgenberger Avenue, and it wasâŠ
David: (says something I canât hear)
Marg: Yeah, it was reallyâŠAnyway, it was on the corner in which I grew up, and I was able to tour the home in which I grew up, and it was right across from the public swimming pool where I was a lifeguard/swim instructor. AndâŠ
David: This took place this summer? Is that when it happened?
Marg: Yes, this summer. And they had a big, black thing covering it, and then they had all these people making speeches and this and that about how fabulous I was (laughs).
And anyway, they unveiled it and I think I made some comment to the effect of âOh, itâs here for all eternity,â and my brother and cousin, who were just standing over here, my brother goes âYeah, I give it âtil sunset.â (Everyone laughs)
Marg: But I found out at the tailgate party at the game that itâs still up. Yes!
David: What I would be a little upset about is this right here (points at the picture), âHonoraryâ Helgenberger Avenue. That makes itâŠ
Marg: Itâs not official? Yeah.
David: Whatâs that all about? Theyâve still got Locust Street, so what is it? ItâsâŠ
Marg: But look how much better that looks than (points at the signs). How sharper and pristineâŠ
David: But think about the confusion in giving directions. Is it Locust or is itâŠ? No, no, itâs not Locust, itâs Helgenberger. Yes, but is it Honorary Helgenberger or is it Helgenberger? No, I think itâs Locust. (Marg laughs).
David: Well, anyway, Iâd be a proud woman if I were you.
Marg: Thank you. I was very touched by it.
David: Now, tell us whatâŠ.ooh! You know what is one of the great gimmicks theyâve come up with on those CSI shows? All of the other ones find actual dead bodies. There was one here in New York. There was one in Miami.
Marg: So I hear.
David: And Les Moonves is a genius. (Marg laughs)
David: And I just wondered if they had found a dead body where you shoot your show.
Marg: You know what? We havenât. I donât know how thatâs happened because weâve shot in some unsavory neighborhoods, especially in Las Vegas. In one of the neighborhoods, in fact, we were shooting near a strip club. Actually it was an area that was populated by strip clubs and wedding chapels. Anyway, there was a big billboard that was advertising â it was âThe Home of the $5 Lap Danceâ.
David: Whoa! (He laughs)
Marg: Yeah. There wasnât a big, long line!
David: I mean, seriouslyâŠ
Marg: It wasnât that popular.
David: When it comes to lap dances, are you really looking for a bargain? Honest to God, is that really where you want to save money?! (Everyone laughs). Iâm not sureâŠ
David: But anyway, it begins its seventh season tomorrow night right here on CBS. At what time? 9:00?
Marg: 9:00, yes.
David: Great. Good to see you again, Marg. Thank you very much.
Marg: You too, David. Thanks!
David: Marg Helgenberger, everybody!