Helgenberger: I Got Through It By Daydreaming

Dream a little dream.

Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows) was a dreamer when she was younger. When she worked the production line at a meatpacking plant back in Nebraska, she ignored the blood and gore and instead thought about bigger and better things. "I got through it by daydreaming," she told Access DirecTV. "I'd imagine I was somewhere, anywhere but there." Nearly thirty years later, with a Hollywood career under her belt, Helgenberger admits that she still sometimes thinks about what could have been. "Oh, you know," she said, "like why don't I have Nicole Kidman's career."

"I have plenty of dark moments, and I have to watch out for them," she said. "My tendency isn't to think of things I've accomplished. Especially as I get older, I'm more inclined to dwell on everything I haven't done." That's not to say that Helgenberger hasn't been successful. As one of the stars of the hit television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, the actress has some star power of her own. Her role as Catherine has earned her a lot of fans, and she is often asked for autographs.

Helgenberger said that she doesn't rely on that attention for her own happiness. "I've known some very ambitious people who thrive on that kind of attention, but they've rarely been especially happy," she said. "Then again, I don't spend too much of my free time around actors. They can sort of suck all the air out of a room."

One actor Helgenberger does spend plenty of free time with is her husband of nearly 20 years, Alan Rosenberg. In Hollywood, that kind of long-term relationship is rare. "One key to our marriage is that we respect each other's needs," Helgenberger said. "Alan understands what I'm about."

The full interview can be found in the March 2008 issue of Access DirecTV Magazine. Thanks to iconraven and margamania for sharing with us.

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