Back to Who's News

Q: Do you feel the pressure of getting "Survivor" as your lead-in?
A: It's a huge vote of confidence. We were very happy. I always was happy with the Friday night. It's tough starting a new show.

Q: Is this something that as producer, you lobbied for, or does the network just come down and announce you've been given this great new berth?
A: This came really out of the blue. It's hectic at the moment. It changed our schedule a little bit, it changes some stuff that we're figuring out -- it's all hands on deck.

Q: Does the network put pressure on you to draw a huge audience?
A: They just want us to do great stuff. We had a couple stories we moved so we can deliver a lot of them back to back. It takes us eight to nine days to shoot these. You run out of days. Moving from Friday to Thursday makes a big difference in our schedules. It's been (working) about 80 hours a week.

Q: You've had a respectable career in well-received movies and TV, but not the huge stardom thing that CSI could bring. How do you feel about that?
A: I've been around the block a few times at this point. One of the reasons I wanted to do a television show was to get a new challenge. The fame part -- I'm not a big fan of that. I've had a relatively low profile. (But) in terms of the work, it's pretty thrilling, it's exhausting.

Q: What does the producer title mean for you?
A: Not to have to sit around in the trailer. When you come to work, you work.The fame part, I don't have any time left in the day to worry about the fame part. I have a huge family around the country. That's been fun, in terms of for my family and friends around the country. Unfortunately I now don't have any time to see any of them.

Q:You got started acting while on football scholarship at Idaho State University.
A: I wanted to play football, but my grade point average was so bad, they put me in theater classes to get my grade point average up. I fell in love with the people in the theater department at Idaho. This was a group of people instead of trying to score a touchdown ... it seemed a perfect combination of what I loved about team sports, about putting a group of people together and being a family.

Q: How did your football buddies react to you going theater on them?
A: Fortunately, I didn't have that many football player friends. As long as Iwas willing to build sets, they started giving me (scholarship money in theater).

Q:You even founded a theater in Chicago, the Remains Theatre Ensemble.
A: We were together for 15 years, everybody ended up with national careers. I still go back to Chicago and do plays. We lost our theater; they turned it into a mall. We didn't want to start over again. We'll do plays again. I have a place in L.A., but I have a place in Chicago -- the majority of my family is in Chicago.

Q:Some aspects of forensics can be a little creepy. Does your show ever creep you out?
A: I'm fascinated by it. I think part of it is because it's Gil Grissom doing it ... things that I probably never would have done. I'm becoming really interested in bugs, maggots and tarantulas. I'm really learning about things I never had a chance to learn about before. We have a wonderful group of technical advisers. (Forensics scientists) are the guys who are going to solve crimes in the next 25 years. It's part of the vernacular, certainly,ever since O.J.

Q:You were the first to pursue Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter -- just out on DVD. And you played Jack Henry Abbott in Belly of the Beast. Does the criminal mind fascinate you?
A: When I did To Live and Die in L.A., which was my first movie, the (police) told me there's such a fine line between the criminal mind and the cop mind. What you have to do, you have to be part of them. Basically, we are a whole world of people desperately trying to figure out what is the dark side of our natures and how much can we explore without becoming something else. That's why people come to Vegas. They have a chance wherever they come from to walk on the dark side, one way or the other. Certainly in terms of the gambling and stuff. Though Vegas is no longer a den of iniquity -- it's become Disneyfied -- it was such a perfect setting for this (series). It's a place where you explore.

Q: This series was created for you by Jerry Bruckheimer. Was being producer part of the deal for you?
A: I had talked to Jerry in the past. He had found (CSI creator) Anthony Zuiker (cq), the kid who had the idea for this. I had a development deal with (CBS entertainment president) Leslie Moonves. (The producer) makes sure thatit all gets done. There are several producers. It's like we're doing a little movie every three weeks. We deal with everything, from writing to directors, actors, to the casting, to the locations, to the schedules. I help as much as I can. It just makes you much more committed. When you have your own theater company, it's all about the whole project to me, it's about the show. It's the whole thing. I don't know how to leave well enough alone.

Q: Are you married or single?
A: I'm not married. I don't have any time. I've had girlfriends. They say, 'This sucks, you're never here, you're always working. 'When I retire, I may go out.

Q: Does this mean you're available?
A: I'm due a date one of these days. It's just that when I do have one, I have to leave after an hour, I get a call to do this or that.

Q: How about hobbies, how do you spend your spare time, what little there is?
A: I would exercise but again, I don't have time. I would have hobbies, too, but I don't have time. And now they're calling me for a photo shoot.

-- By Patty Rhule