Marg Helgenberger Stays on CSI and Tells Us Why

The original interview was published in French on Toutelatele.com. This English version was translated by Angela.

Is Marg Helgenberger indecisive? Each season, the actress who plays Catherine Willows would express her desire to leave CSI. After saying that she would be leaving early in the 12th season, it seems that she has now changed her mind. She took advantage of a trip to France on May 5th to clear things up.

By Tony Cotte | Translated by Angela
Toutelatele.com – May 13, 2011

Your departure from CSI has been announced for some time now. Where are things at right now?
Marg Helgenberger: I had planned to quit after the 11th season. Several factors made me change my mind, including a conversation with the producers. They tried to find a deal, like having me in only a few episodes and keeping the door open for my character. But we are still negotiating. Deep inside of me I know that I don’t really want to say goodbye to my character and to my colleagues. So I’ll be doing less episodes. For the season that’s currently airing in the U.S., I did 19 episodes instead of 22. It allowed me to travel and to get some rest.

Do you know how many episodes you will appear in next season?
We are talking about 9, maybe 10 episodes and possibly another appearance later in the season. When I was working full-time on the show, it was difficult to do anything else. And we don’t always want to spend our two-months break working on other projects. Now, I’d love to do a play. I’m going to meet with several producers soon to talk about that.

It appears that you follow in William Petersen’s footsteps (Gil Grissom). Does his career inspire you?
This is not inspiration but admiration. I have a deep respect for the decision he took and for everything he has done. He was able to accomplish his desire for theater. We both love being on the stage. It is a completely different experience. Although I’d also like to do movies, I really would love to do a play in Broadway or in London.

After all these years, are you proud of a particular scene you did in CSI?
Not necessarily some scenes in particular but more of an ensemble. I enjoyed some episodes more than others, especially those with a lot of drama. One episode comes to mind. It was developed from an idea that I had proposed to the producers. Catherine Willows is a well-rounded woman, and I wanted to see a more vulnerable side of her, in an environment that she’s not use to. So I thought of a story where Catherine flirts with a man in a bar, that man puts GHB, also called the date rape drug, in her drink. She wakes up the next day in a shabby motel and tries to remember the course of the evening. This kind of tragedy happens a lot in the United States, and unfortunately in most cases, victims are raped. This is not the case with Catherine, though. After the episode was aired, my 19-year-old niece called me and said that now she knew how to react if something like that ever happened to her. Other young women also talked to me about that. This episode had kind of an impact on the viewers.

Do you still feel a sense of accomplishment once you finish filming a season?
I still feel proud. We recently celebrated our 250th episode, and I still remember how it felt reading the script and seeing this number in big, bold characters. I knew we were approaching it, but actually reading it was amazing. It’s exciting. The viewers’ reaction from all over the world is also an important factor. When I’m in Europe, especially in Paris, I’m impressed with how many people recognize me. They scream “Catherine! Catherine! Les Experts!” [in French]. It’s a wonderful feeling.

But aren’t you a bit bored after playing the same character for 11 years?
It’s a legitimate question, and frankly, I sometimes am. The last thing I want is losing my inspiration and just being there following directions. This is the case with a lot of actors who are just waiting for their paychecks. This is not me. I think it’s important to keep the passion.

If you appear only in a few episodes, what will happen to your character?
We’re thinking about it. There are thousands of ways for her to exit, one of them involving the casino that she inherited from her father. Besides, I’ve always loved the episodes that explore the cultural specificity of Las Vegas and the underside of gambling. Many people go to Las Vegas for that reason. I would like Catherine to stay as an expert, but not necessarily in the law enforcement.

Who can take over her position?
I would choose Nick Stokes to replace her. He was there from the beginning, and I like his relationship with Catherine. She’s kind of a big sister to him, and she can always count on him.

After the departures of Gary Dourdan, William Petersen and Jorja Fox not being in the eighth and ninth season a lot, don’t you worry that you appearing in only a few episodes might hurt the show?
This is one of the reasons why our executive prodecer Carol Mendelsohn asked me if I could stay a little longer. I think they are afraid that the show will lose its essence with most of the original cast members gone. The season that Gary left, we also lost three characters. And this resulted in a significant decline in our ratings. It was a setback. But after 11 years, the fact that we are still among the 10 most watched programs in the United States is quite impressive. And I honestly think that CSI‘s still got a lot of potential with or without me in the credits.      ♦