Helgenberger: Don't Believe What You Read

Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows) stands with the writers.

The CSI: Crime Scene Investigation actress joined the Writers Guild of America (WGA) members who were picketing outside of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) headquarters on Tuesday. The theme for the day was "scene of the crime", and Helgenberger said that she was "sort of the actor that's representing" the forensic crime dramas. She was not the only actor present that day, but she made sure to voice her support. "I have so many friends that are writers and they do what I can't do, and I think that's why actors have come out in droves on the picket line" Helgenberger told Entertainment Tonight. "We rely on them to speak, we rely on them to give us the words that make people think and make people feel, and we're just sort of the instrument that brings that to life."

Helgenberger said that she felt the strike was a good thing for organized labor. "We're living in a climate of extraordinarily large corporations," she said. "The AMPTP happens to be all of these vertically-integrated companies that own all of entertainment, all of news, and they essentially can tell whatever publication they own, which are all of them, [what to write]." She went on to explain that this is the reason why most of the articles seem to be "skewed and slanted in favor of" the AMPTP.

The one thing Helgenberger would like people to take away from the strike, she said, was, "Don't believe what you read." She encouraged people to "get the facts" about the strike before forming an opinion. "There's many many websites at which you can get a lot of information," she said, such as "UnitedHollywood.com, which is a WGA website" and "Deadline Hollywood Daily is a really good one." She also suggested that people "call up the unions and ask what the issues are. They'll send them to you if anybody is curious."

As the strike continues, the Golden Globe Awards that are set to air in January might have a lot of empty seats in the audience. The WGA is planning to picket the event, and many stars have already made up their minds. Helgenberger, who is married to Screen Actors Guild (SAG) president Alan Rosenberg, told Hollywood.com that there are "many nominees that have already called my husband and said they aren't crossing the picket lines."

A video clip of Helgenberger picketing outside of the AMPTP headquarters can be seen on ET Online. Information about actors refusing to go to the Golden Globes is originally from Hollywood.com.

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