Buckley: I Was So Overwhelmed

See Also: 'Bad Beat' Episode Guide

AJ Buckley (Adam Ross) was a nervous newbie.

Adam Ross first appeared during CSI: New York's second season, in "Bad Beat". Two years after that first appearance, perhaps the most identifiable characteristic of the lab tech is something that Buckley himself contributed: nerves. "I change my voice a bit, I make him this sort of socially inept guy who is afraid of everything, and that actually came out of my first couple of days on set," he explained to London Free Press. "I was so overwhelmed."

Buckley has since signed a contract to remain on New York in a more permanent role, but in the beginning he was just a bit player. "Gary Sinise (Mac Taylor) is standing there. I'm having to say these big words. And at the time it was just a (part-time) role, so I was like, 'Damn, this could be my last episode,'" he said. "With all of that going on, I just kind of used that for Adam. He's nervous as hell, which is what I really was. And that kind of made the comedy."

Buckley was born in Ireland and raised in Canada, but he now lives in Los Angeles. Ultimately, he considers himself Canadian "and very proud to be." However, he had a hard time breaking into the business in his home country. "Over the years, I just could not get hired to save my life in Canada," he explained. "But then as soon as I came down here, it clicked." Working in the United States wasn't a walk in the park for Buckley, who described a period where he was living out of his car and only had a few dollars to his name. "I called it Hotel BMW," he said. "I had $32, that was the lowest I got. And I remember having that moment, when I was asking myself, 'What am I going to do?'"

Instead of going back to Canada, Buckley decided to "stick it out" in Los Angeles. "At the time I didn't have a Green Card. I was in the States on a visa, which meant I could work only as an actor. That made it incredibly difficult early on," he explained. "But I just thought, well, I have my friends, I have my family, I have my health, and I'm chasing my dreams. What could be better?"

The original interview is from London Free Press.

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