Forlani: I'm A Very Visceral, Emotional Person

Claire Forlani (Dr. Peyton Driscoll) found working on CSI: New York to be both surprising and challenging.

Forlani had not planned on working on a television show, and she had never seen an episode of CSI: NY prior to joining the show in season three. "I found working on television to be a very different creative process," she told The Star Online. "It's been very interesting. I've had a nice time and I've met a good bunch of people to explore television with." Forlani said that she and her character are not similar to one another. "They really are different, those medical examiner types, because they are dealing with things on a daily basis that would be traumatic to you," she said. For the character, solving a murder is a scientific process. "I'm a very visceral, emotional person so that kind of detachment that the profession creates makes for a very interesting character."

Peyton's romance with Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) is what drew Forlani to the role. "That's what made it interesting and why I gave it a go," she said. "If I had just been a medical examiner, I wouldn't have been as appealing." She described the material with Sinise's character as "very emotional, layered, and more dramatic" than the medical part of her role. The technical terms that Peyton says in each episode were daunting to Forlani at first, but "as you get into it, you really start to understand what you are saying. It became more and more interesting as I went along."

"I like things to have a beginning, a middle and an end," Forlani said. "I like having a set amount of time to create something" For this reason, she said that she prefers making movies. "But working on CSI has given me a new appreciation of just how interesting TV work can be. I'm still new to TV but I've really enjoyed my experience working on it."

You can read the full interview at The Star Online.

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