Buckley ‘Grateful’ To Be On Long-Running ‘New York’

Getting to play lab tech Adam Ross on CSI: New York changed AJ Buckley‘s life—and the role continues to challenge him in the show’s sixth season. (Contains minor spoilers for the beginning of season six.)

The opportunity to join New York couldn’t have come at a better time for Buckley. “When I booked CSI, I had $32 to my name and was living out of my car,” the actor revealed. “To go from that to this, getting to travel around the world and meet different people – I’m completely grateful!”

The success of the CSI franchise over the past decade is no surprise to Buckley. “They’ve got great writers and they’ve cast great actors,” he said. “And it’s such an old tale; it’s Sherlock Holmes. Who did it, and how did they do it? They took that old theory, made science sexy and took this fresh look. People really respond to that.”

The New York edition of the franchise sets itself apart, the actor added. “New York is a character on the show,” he explained. “I don’t know many people that aren’t fascinated by it. It’s so film noir. Then you throw an actor like Gary Sinise (Mac Taylor) into the mix and it speaks for itself.” But is there any rivalry between the three CSI series? “I think every CSI wants to be the top,” Buckley said. “It’s a healthy rivalry. [Executive producer] Pam [Veasey] expects to be number one and be the top. You can’t get complacent in the sixth season.”

Being on the air for so many years does have its advantages. “Going into your sixth season, it allows the writers to go deeper within the characters,” Buckley said. “We can get into the intricacies of them and what makes them tick. The audience really feels for these characters. They’re so invested in them.”

Fans may be invested in Buckley’s character now, but there wasn’t always much for the actor to work with. “When I joined the cast, there was no description of who Adam was,” he explained. “Pam Veasey has always said that my character is kind of the comedy of the show. But over the years he’s started to understand who he is and show his strengths.” And the actor behind the quirky lab tech does get “a fair bit” of input into his character. “That’s the wonderful thing about working with Pam Veasey and [executive producer] Peter Lenkov,” Buckley said. “They really take the time to listen to anything you have to say about your character.”

The actor has the opportunity to share his opinions about Adam as a character, but Buckley is not the science expert he plays on TV. “You know what, when I was in high school, I was a horrific student,” he revealed. “I’m a poster child for ADD, and I’m terribly dyslexic. Growing up, learning for me was next to impossible. So Adam’s journey of education and my journey of education are night and day. I’m sure my science teachers back in high school that watch the show now have a good laugh.”

Luckily for Buckley, playing Adam isn’t all about pronouncing difficult scientific terms. Some episodes have given the actor the chance to delve into more emotional territory. “One of my favourites was the episode ‘The Party’s Over’,” he shared. “There’s a child that commits a murder and they send me into the interrogation room to talk with the kid. It was the first real episode where I got to sink my teeth into something – to get out of the lab and not be saying science words, and to emotionally connect to the dialogue.”

At the start of season six, Buckley was pleasantly surprised by his character’s romantic involvement with coworker Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes) in the premiere episode, “Epilogue”. “I remember showing up on the set and people asked me, ‘Have you seen the script yet?’ I took a look and I was like, ‘Oh, wow!’ I think it’s a great storyline,” he said. “Adam and Stella have always had a flirtatious thing back and forth. The guy needs some love! He’s in the lab all the time. Stella’s a sexy woman, so why not?”

Buckley enjoys working on CSI: NY, but he revealed that he has another ambition: to take his acting to the stage. “One of my dreams is to come to London and do a play,” he explained. “Not even one of the big shows – I would be happy doing a small theatre in a small town. Just to immerse myself in the work would be great!”

Source: Five.tv. Thanks to perlnoir on TalkCSI for the heads up.