Szmanda: I Try To Enjoy Every Moment

Eric Szmanda (Greg Sanders) has been on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation since season one, and he’s happy right where he is.

With CSI in its tenth season, Szmanda has appeared in more than 200 episodes of the series. “What a long, strange trip it’s been,” the actor told Female First. “I know it won’t last forever, so I try to enjoy every moment. Not many shows make it this far, so I feel very fortunate to be part of it.”

“It’s a great show to work on, thanks to an amazing crew, cast and writing staff,” Szmanda continued, adding that he isn’t planning to leave any time soon. “If I wasn’t enjoying myself, I wouldn’t be doing it,” he explained. “Plus, my character’s gradual evolution from lab tech to CSI level three has kept me interested and challenged on a creative level.”

The departure of leading man William Petersen (Gil Grissom) shook things up on the CSI set, but Szmanda said Laurence Fishburne (Dr Ray Langston) was a good addition to the show. “The mood on the set is very good,” he shared. “We are still having fun. We’ve been through a great deal of changes over the last couple seasons, as any show would after 9 years, but we have a job to do and owe it to our fans to give it our all to the very end. Of course, we miss Billy tremendously. When he left, I realized I was on my own, as if my training wheels were taken off my bike.”

“It was kinda scary at first, but I’m getting more used to it every day,” he continued. “It has taken a long time to adjust to his absence, but I feel like we are finally back on track. While no one will ever replace Billy, Laurence has been a great addition to the cast. He is gracious, kind, funny and professional – which is exactly what we need. And having Jorja Fox [Sara Sidle] back has been awesome.”

The actor’s favorite episode marked an important turning point for his character. “‘Who Shot Sherlock’ will always be my favorite episode,” Szmanda revealed. “Not only does Greg pass his proficiency test, but he really proves himself as a competent CSI. Plus, the episode is shot beautifully and has a style reminiscent of Clue, which happens to be one of my favorite board games.”

For Szmanda, the chance to see Greg take charge would be a welcome addition to the show. “I’d like to see Greg step into more of an authoritative role,” he said. “I think Greg would make a great boss to someone… anyone.”