Petersen: 'Time Is Coming To Do Something Else'

<font color=yellow>William Petersen</font> (Gil Grissom) suggested this week he's already made up in his mind on when he will depart from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

"It's hard to play the same character all the time; at some point you want to be released from that," Petersen told the British Radio Times. "I understood that going into CSI to a certain degree, but you don't know how long it's going to last. I think the time is coming when it will be the right choice for Grissom and the audience for me to do something else. I sort of know when, but it's between me and the producers."

Over the past few years, Petersen already managed to scale back his workload on CSI, taking time off to star in a play, but also forcing producers to change the way the show is filmed. "I was burning out," Petersen said, describing the often grueling workdays he had to face. "I said, 'I can't continue to do this at this pace because it makes me unhealthy, and it's too difficult to have a life.' On a lot of shows they work too hard, too fast. Everybody starts to hate each other and all of a sudden the show implodes. Now we have designed it so that we can survive."

If Petersen does stay on the show for a while longer, a reason might be that he feels responsible for the many people the show employs. The actor related a tale of his family's furniture business, the example of which provided Petersen with a strong work ethic. "[My family never makes] any money and they work long hours, and I've asked my dad and brother over the years, 'Why don't you sell up and retire?' But they say it's because it gives livelihoods to 20 people. I was always impressed by that. On CSI we give work to 200 people and I feel a real obligation to them. I believe acting is just what I do for work."

Even if Petersen does eventually leave, the show will probably continue without him, and there'll always be CSI: Miami and CSI: New York, too. But Petersen, who in the past has been deeply critical of the spin-offs, still seems unhappy with their existence. "I still think that the other shows could have been done in a more interesting way. I think they just rubber-stamped them and stuck more of them out there. CSI: Miami does 24 shows a year, CSI: NY does 24; everyone gets tired. There's a whole lot of stories we can't do because of the other shows, and that's a problem."

For Petersen, who is not a fan of talking to the media, this was his first UK interview in six years. To read the full version of it, pick up the new edition of the Radio Times, available now.<center></center>

 

He's been saying he's wanted to go for years, in many shapes and different forms of saying it, but hasn't quite left. When he does finally leave, I'll believe him.

The show is slowly dying. If he wants to leave, the show will be dead.

In all honesty I could care less. I've been wanting to stop watching the show for months. I wanted to stop after Louise Lombard left the show, but didn't step up to the plate and quit. If Marg does leave, I will for sure.

As of now, these are just words that Billy has been saying for years.

 

I think that if they hired the right guy, he could take over for Grissom. The fellow they had for 4 episodes last year while Grissom was out had great potential, but too bad he was killed off and he had compromised ethics.

 

He sounds kinda jealous to tell ya the truth.
I love to watch Vegas, I actually watch for the epis & not for the characters, but I think now that Jorja is gone & there's talk of Marg leaving, George & Gary have both made comments in interviews about needing something more...now Peterson. I bet they'll make it at 10 years & be done.

I absolutely agree w/ you SPEEDCOCHRANE, it shouldn't matter what the other shows do, especially Miami 'cause I could never in a million years see Grissom in the same scenarios that they have in Miami. They are definatly all one of a kind!

Well, I hope they give it a go longer. Vegas is gorry & I love gorry!

 

It's a tv show. There is always a small chance for it to last long...especially a crime drama.

I guess this is his annual 'I am going to leave the show' interview. He says it every single season.

When you get paid $500,000 an episode, it better not be easy work. Again, a tv show...lots of work, long hours. I guess its easy to say that when you are so rich you never have to work again.

You aren't the only reason the show is a huge hit! It sounds like he doesn't even like CSI...

It's a shame Miami stole the ideas with the coast guard chases, the shark attacks and body dumps in the everglades. Vegas could have totally done something with that and they could have done Brazil as well! While they are at it, they could have a body dumped from a high rise and central park.

:lol: :lol: He is just bitter because he was wrong about the spin offs being a bad idea. Suck it up and admit that you were wrong!

I like Billy, but he always sounds so snobby in his interviews, jeeze! I hate it when tv actors complain about being stuck doing a show.

 

I don't think he sounds snobby, I think he is just tired of doing the same thing for so many years and it's hard for him to stay fresh. I love the show and he does an awesome job, but I think the show will go on without him. I miss Sara terribly and I will miss Grissom, but I still watch. Actors are artists and creative by nature; I think it's normal for them to want to move on. I just hope when Grissom does leave, he leaves with Sara.

 

I think Billy is correct, and I agree with him for being perturbed at the spin-off CSI shows. Too much CSI is like too much Law and Order...it's just too much. Although the Miami CSI show is beyond ridiculous, it still has some of the same elements as the original CSI, like the lab scenes, the gruesome death scenes, the too many cleavage scenes, etc.

Billy is such a nice, caring guy. It's admirable that he wants to keep all those people employed, and I'm sure that includes the minor character actors.

The 4 episodes with Liev Schreiber were a waste of money and time. Although a great actor, he could never take Billy's place, nor could anybody else in my book. Billy defines CSI. It would be next to impossible to replace his character.

I can't wait for CSI Las Vegas to resume. It's the only decent show on TV amidst a flood of reality crap.

 

How many times has Petersen talked about leaving? And he's still around after all this time. Like vegaslights said, I'll only believe all this talk about leaving when he actually does leave.

Grissom may be the "face" of CSI, so to speak, but I believe that if they found the right person, the show will continue to go on. He's hardly around as it is. I enjoyed the 4 episodes with Liev Shreiber last season, it was quite refreshing. Grissom cannot be replaced, I agree, but this is also a chance to cast someone who is entirely different from him, like Liev's character, to keep the show fresh.

 

Agreed. But then I felt that they didn't actually need to bring somebody in for those 4 eps. The rest of the cast was strong enough to do the show without WP. If they do write out Grissom, I'd much rather that they promoted one of the team to his position and brought in a few junior CSI's rather than putting in a new boss.

 

I thought the Liev Schrieber episodes were really good. Keppler was a great character!

Billy does this every year at this time, and all I can say, go already..gees stop complaining as there are many, many actors in Hollywood who give their left arm for your role!"

 

yaaaaaaaaaaaaay

 

I agree with xfcanadian. Billy does come across snobby and jealous in his interviews when it comes to the spin-offs. While CSI ranks #1 amongst the three most of the time in the USA, Miami is the most watched show in the world. And a lot of the time, NY has the better finales. Just because his show was the first one created doesn't mean his show is the better child of the three.

I see then actually as CSI could be ripping off Law & Order, as Law & Order was created WAY before CSI's creation and has been running way longer.

He is nice. I've met him and he was kind to his fan. But, sometimes he doesn't realize it's just a TV show and sometimes you don't have to be jealous over other people's success.

I swear I'm not picking on you! :lol: But I disagree. I think these four episodes were very strong, and Liev brought a very great presence to Keppler. I felt that if William were to have left, Schreiber would have been a great replacement. And William had said on the Season 7 DVD set, that he wished that Liev and him could have switched off and on every couple eps. However Keppler was killed off on Liev's wishes.

He does, and it gets very tiring.

 

I agree with xfcanadian on basically everything.

And you know what? I'm over it. He's constantly complaining. If getting paid $500, 000 per episode is too hard on him, then he should just leave.