Marc Vann

Every hero needs a worthy opponent, and Gil Grissom is no different. <font color=yellow>Marc Vann</font> has been with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation from the show's first season, playing Grissom's chief rival, Day Shift Supervisor Conrad Ecklie. Vann shared his thoughts on Ecklie's evolution, his complex relationship with Grissom and his view of procedurals in general with CSI Files' <font color=yellow>Kristine Huntley</font>.

CSI Files: How did you get the role of Conrad Ecklie?

Marc Vann: I auditioned. It was for "Blood Drops", season 1. <font color=yellow>Ken Fink</font> was directing and at the time I had no idea it would turn into such a great part. Lucky me.

CSI Files: What was it like filming your first episode?

Vann: I'm always a bit nervous on a new set, and this was no exception. I also had a bit of the flu my first day, so was kinda spacey and was worried my head would blow up. My first scene was the confrontation with Grissom in the hallway talking about "teams." It went by really fast, because they often only do one or two takes of each shot on CSI. And although I knew <font color=yellow>Billy Petersen</font> well, this was my first time working with him on camera, and I was immediately impressed with his ease and subtlety. He probably thought I was a sweating, nervous wreck.

CSI Files: Did you have any inkling back then that CSI would become such a mega-hit?

Vann: Nope, had no idea. It was still airing on Friday night at that point, and doing pretty well, I think winning its time slot. One very rarely thinks about that kinda thing with a new show. You're just hoping it doesn't get cancelled so maybe they'll use you again, or maybe they'll rerun your episode and you can get paid twice, you know, so you can get your insurance paid for that year.

CSI Files:. What were your first impressions of Ecklie? Did you have any idea that the role would grow into a recurring one?

Vann: When I read my audition scene discussing "your team, my team" and the character's named Conrad Ecklie, I knew the guy was a prick, just wasn't sure quite what kind. I actually didn't think I would get cast, cause I envisioned a harder and perhaps more military character. When I saw some of the other actors at the audition who were nerdier than I am, I figured maybe they weren't going in that direction. Since the character was "The Day Shift Supervisor", I figured they were setting him up for some future conflicts with Grissom, but I had no idea what sort of life it would have. I thought Ecklie was dead and buried after season 2. When Ecklie got promoted and came back season 5, I was shocked and delighted.

CSI Files: Conrad and Grissom butted heads a lot early on in the series. What about Grissom do you think most frustrates Ecklie?

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Kristine, I love, love, love! your interviews.

You've inspired me a lot when it comes to doing my interviews. Your questions are great and it seems whoever does the interview with you has a lot of fun with them. You're so lucky and I wish you the best of luck with your future interviews!

 

Great interview, as always. Keep 'em coming!

I like Ecklie, even though he's been portrayed as the bad guy a lot in CSI, with the exception of Grave Danger when he stepped up to help with the ransom money - it made me go, "Awww! Ecklie has a heart after all!"

I hate that we don't see much of Ecklie on CSI nowadays.

I've seen his appearances on Criminal Minds - he played an Ecklie-type of character, and on NCIS (episode: Dead Man Walking) last season, he did a great job as well, he didn't turn out to be the bad guy though. :lol:

 

Ecklie fan myself. Loved the article. Sadly, while I have seen "Grave Danger", it was the DVD version, so I never saw the part about him helping with the ransom demand (always wondered where that part came from on Wikipedia...thought the writer was high or something).

 

Marc Vann is good at playing Ecklie--the prick whom everyone loves to hate and hates to love. Grissom and Ecklie do indeed make great foils for eachother though there are sometimes he's been underutilized. I really loved Ecklie in Iced having to actually go out and do field work regarding the dead body with the cigar and the party hat. Grissom really nailed him good in that one with the Latex remarks!

I've always said that Ecklie has a bit of a Superiority Complex and that at times Marc Vann is unknowingly channelling Squidward or Plankton from Spongebob Squarepants--looking down his nose at everyone, thinking of himself as intellectually superior to everyone even though he knows he's not as smart as others out there.

If they ever did an Ecklie centered episode, I'd like it to somehow come out that he had taken in June Melton from "Nesting Dolls" after her husband Andrew Melton had been sent to jail, that they were now intimately involved, and that he had gone way out of his way to conceal the relationship from LVMPD. Not only would it make him out to be a big hypocrite, but also it would possibly show off a softer side to him--that he was actually super-kind and sweet to her, but at the same time his total inability to have a relationship with any woman that had any self-worth would be a real mark of embarassment to his pride and ego. Also seeing Ecklie in the hot seat from the higher ups instead of Grissom, Warrick, Nick or Catherine would be a nice reversal of fortune, though it might make some of us feel sympathy for him.

Great interview!

 

The thing is, the character Andrew Melton in Nesting Dolls was a lot like Ecklie--controlling, bald, had issues with people. Of course, unlike Ecklie, he actually killed two women in cold blood because they wouldn't do what he wanted them to. As much as Ecklie can be a prick, it's people like Melton he does want off the street. Ecklie could also have had a "There but for the Grace of God go I" moment after seeing Andrew Melton, which might also spur him to take that kind of action.

However, you would figure anyone like Ecklie would have a softer side and if it turned out that he was guilty of some major hypocrisy and now the spotlight was on him, well... it would make for some interesting character development, and it would be fun to see him squirm! :lol:

As much as I really hated him in the first two seasons, then even more after he split up the team, when he disappeared for a while, I kinda missed his foil relationship with the Night Shift and having him back in the spots he's shown up this season has been appropo, to be sure.

I personally am VERY disappointed they took out that scene because Ecklie did show great support to the night shift after Nick got abducted and it did show that even a prick like Ecklie would do the right thing for one of Grissom's team if the chips were down.