Helgenberger Discusses Ten Years With ‘CSI’

Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows) knew she found something special when she joined the cast of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ten years ago, but the show’s successful run over the past decade has been a welcome surprise. (Contains minor spoilers for the season finale!)

Helgenberger thought the show would do well from the very beginning. “I initially thought that it was a hit after reading it because I thought it was an interesting take on crime-solving and the use of all the special effects and the 21st century technology and what came to be known as the ‘CSI shot’—traveling through the body and all of that,” the actress told TV Squad. “I knew there was an enormous chemistry between the cast. And because I’d been around before—I’d done a series 20 years ago called China Beach—so I knew in my opinion … what the audience might like, what the audience is hungry for.”

“I think a good mystery show will always be in vogue, it’s just a matter of how you execute it and this was 21st century Sherlock Holmes,” she continued. “But having said that, I would never have guessed it would have gone 10 years. I would never have guessed it would become a show that would inspire young people to become criminalists and a show that became the vernacular in jury trials, you know, ‘the CSI effect’—when it becomes larger than pop culture and becomes part of historical culture.”

The actress had trouble picking out a favorite moment from the show’s extensive run. “[T]here’s been so many,” Helgenberger said. “Oh my gosh. Whew, wow. There’s certainly episodes that I’ve done that were wacky and fun because sometimes those are a relief when you’re doing some episodes—especially the ones that are based on real cases. Those are very disturbing.”

She couldn’t choose a favorite episode, but the actress had no trouble thinking of one of the show’s earliest defining moments. “There was a case—I think it was one of our first episodes—that I think really helped define CSI and put CSI on the map, it was this episode called ‘Blood Drops’ and a very young Dakota Fanning was on the show,” Helgenberger explained. “I think she was five or six or something like that, and she played this just young girl who it turns out she had witnessed basically the slaughter of her family and that was based on a real case in Los Angeles. I just remember the blond hair and these big blue eyes and I remember thinking, ‘This is an amazing little actress.'”

“But how we solved that particular crime was all about the trajectory of the blood drops, which is obviously heavy in forensics,” the actress continued. “It had less to do with interrogating suspects and really was very heavy in the science and forensics department and I think that really helped define CSI and make it probably less of a cop show and really [demonstrate] this is a show that is kind of on the cutting edge of criminal science.”

Fast-forward ten years, and CSI remains one of the most influential crime dramas on television. Helgenberger has remained with the show since it began, and her character took over as the team’s supervisor after the departure of leading man William Petersen (Gil Grissom) last season. But has Catherine changed since taking on a leadership role? “Yeah, definitely,” Helgenberger said. “Subtly, but yes, I definitely feel that Catherine’s more confident than she was certainly in the beginning. when Grissom left, I think there was a part of her that felt—and I think all the other characters felt it as well—a void because he was quite a genius at what he did … but I also think that Catherine has come to realize that she was Grissom’s right-hand man—right hand woman—just really had his back and he never had to doubt that.”

“I think what Catherine has done is really take the qualities that she really respected and admired of Grissom’s and leave behind the ones that didn’t work,” the actress continued “I think she’s a much more inclusive leader than he is. He’d get on a role and have some kind of tunnel vision and sort of forget about the rest of us, and Catherine’s always thinking about the team.”

Helgenberger offered a glimpse at what fans can look forward to as season ten draws to a close. “Well, definitely the plot of the Dr Jekyll killer … comes in to the last two episodes,” she revealed. “[I]t’s actually an episode that I think the fans are going to be really happy with. It’s one of our better season finales. It’s very well-written, very well-crafted. Just got a lot of suspense and action. It’s got complexity, it’s got dark humor. There’s some great dialogue. And you know, I’m proud of it. I know the producers are proud of it. It’s a little of both but I won’t reveal any more than that.”

The actress also wouldn’t reveal whether she’ll be back next season. As CSI Files previously reported, Helgenberger’s contract ends this season, and her future with the show remains up in the air. If she does return, the actress would like to see more interaction between Catherine and her daughter Lindsey. “I hope so. I mean, if I am coming back,” Helgenberger said. “Who knows? But I would love that … Now [Lindsay’s] going to be heading into college and my [real-life] son [Hugh] is in college, so I know that age group to a certain degree, obviously. [I’d like to show] that side of Catherine, more of her vulnerable side and her maternal side. I love the actress that plays her, Kay Panabaker.”

She’d also like to see a bit more about her character’s relationship with Detective Vartann (Alex Carter), which heated up when the pair did a stakeout together in “The Panty Sniffer”. “I think it’s something that will continue,” she said. “It probably won’t develop into something that you see every episode and it certainly wouldn’t turn into any kind of soap opera situation. Any time we do that, I think it kind of takes away from the crux of the show because it’s always about the mystery and the crime-solving. I’d much prefer it to be about her supervisorial situation and what kind of a leader she is … as opposed to her personal life.”

The relationship between Catherine and Vartann was originally developed in the writers’ room. “Carol Mendelsohn, the executive producer of the show, she had called me and said, ‘You know, we’re thinking of having Catherine have a relationship with Detective Vartann. How do you feel about that?’ I really like the actor that plays him, Alex Carter, so I said, ‘I think it’s a great idea.’ Because I think we’re both adults and I think we’re obviously involved in a lot of crime scenes, yet we’re both very professional about it. We’re not young enough that it can lead to some kind of strange vibes. I think that’s the most important thing—that we’re adult about it and we’re both mature, sexual people.”

Now that she has finished filming CSI for the season, Helgenberger plans to spend time with family and friends. “I don’t have any jobs lined up,” she explained. “I’m doing a charity event I’d like to talk about. I’m co-hosting the Revlon Run Walk For a Cure on May 8 in Los Angeles at the Coliseum. My mother’s a 30-year breast cancer survivor—that’s why I’ve done a lot of awareness and fundraisers for the last 20 years. It’s a cause that’s really important to me and I hope to be doing some traveling. I’m hoping that a friend of mine [and I are] going to be able to go to Paris and to St Bart’s, we’re going to try and make that happen. Maybe go someplace with my son. I was invited to go to Rome for this television festival and that might be something that would be fun for him as well. He’s been to Rome before and it’s a fun, funky city.”

Source: TV Squad via Margamania. Thanks to EricaSJ from TalkCSI for the link.