Ward: I Love New York

Sela Ward (Jo Danville) enjoys sinking her teeth into new material on CSI: New York alongside leading man Gary Sinise (Mac Taylor). (Spoilers after the jump!)

CSI: NY provides a challenging role for Ward that doesn’t put too much pressure on her as an actress. “Here’s a show that’s been on the air for six years,” she explained to Zap2It, “and it’s not on my shoulders, so I think I’ll be able to have a life and at the same time be challenged. I didn’t realize until I got back on the set how much I missed what I do. I’d done (the movies) The Stepfather and The Day After Tomorrow, but nothing to really sink my teeth into, so this has been fun.”

Members of the cast recently travelled to the Big Apple to shoot on location for several upcoming episodes. The first episode featuring authentic New York scenes revolves around a killer who gets his victims’ parents to tamper with the crime scene. It has been a while since Ward filmed on the streets of NYC. “I think it was 1987 when I did (the movie) Hello Again and last shot on the streets there,” the actress revealed. “I love New York so much.”

Ward was a welcome addition to the New York cast. “Sela is such a nice and warm person,” Sinise shared, “and we have such a relaxed and fun and easygoing vibe on our set; we welcomed her in, and she wanted us to help her through all this CSI stuff … because it doesn’t come naturally to most people. It’s a new world, and she just grabbed hold of it. It was all very cordial and perfect, I thought.” He added that the series was fortunate to have Ward come on board in the wake of Melina Kanaredes’ (Stella Bonasera) departure: “We wanted it to be a smooth transition for both us and the audience, and I think it very much is.”

The full interview is available on Zap2It.