by Kevin Williamson
Source Calgary Sun
On TV shows, it's always the rookie who gets the assignment nobody wants. It's not all that different behind the scenes. So while Eric Szmanda has seen his role expand on the Thursday night smash CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, he still makes the rounds promoting, for example, the CSI board game. Hey, beats sniffing around real corpses, doesn't it? "(The game and the series) obviously help each other. The show is doing pretty well, but the board game helps imprint this phenomenon on the popular culture," Szmanda says. So has he played it for himself? "I'm trying to figure out how the game's played. It's definitely no Yatzy," he admits, referring to the game's complexity (which, in the service of full disclosure, should be noted, stumped the Sun staffers who attempted to decipher it during the department's annual games night). "You definitely have to invest some time and energy into it. It's like watching our show." "Our show," of course, just happens to be the most popular series on TV (although Desperate Housewives may be nipping at its heels by the end of the season). Clearly, landing a gig "any gig "on a hit show is what any actor dreams of. For the 29-year-old Szmanda, what makes it all the more remarkable is that he started as a bit player" a guest star on the pilot, clinging to the prospect of becoming a regular later on. That happened in the second season.
"By that point it had become so successfully, it was basically like holding onto a flying rocket," he remembers. About the same time, he got another break when the writers decided to move his character from the crime labs to the field. "It was a very long process. But I was patient and the writers followed through with it. I just finally finished shooting the episode where I pass and (officially become a field agent)." The new role means a lot of time spent with Gil Grissom, the prickly lead investigator played by William Petersen. "Billy is a great guy. We're both from the Midwest, from Chicago, and we've had that from the start. There was an immediate bond. He's always present and available to five advice. And he's also someone who you can go to if you're having an issue on the show." When Szmanda's family visits him on the set, says the actor, Petersen is the first one to greet them and make sure they're comfortable. He's a really great boss to have on and off set. Just as Gregory reports to Grissom, Eric seeks Billy's approval."
Given that CSI has spawned two spinoffs in a mere five years, you might have expected Szmanda to jump ship for a bigger role in the Miami or New York retreads. "When I first heard about the New York spinoff, I was excited," he says. "But then I found out it was being shot in L.A. (doubling for the Big Apple) and realized it wasn't going to be worth pursuing. And I'm glad I've hung in there and grown and developed with the show. It's continuously topping itself every week. It's phenomenal to think how far we've come."As for the much-publicized salary dispute between CBS and cast members Jorja Fox and George Eads (which resulted in the pair being fired for a few days) Szmanda says, "I know they're glad they're back.""That's kind of a distant memory for us. I hope it never happens again, but I think it really brought us closer together."
