Carmine Giovinazzo

[CSI Files]

In CSI: New York's third season, <font color=yellow>Carmine Giovinazzo</font>'s popular character, Danny Messer, moved beyond the emotional turmoil he went through in the show's first two seasons and found something incredibly rare for TV characters: happiness with another regular character on the show. Giovinazzo took some time out of his hiatus break to talk to CSI Files' <font color=yellow>Kristine Huntley</font> about the relationship between Danny and Lindsay Monroe and his hopes for a return to his character's passionate roots in the show's upcoming fourth season.

CSI Files: How's your hiatus been going? Have you been working or just relaxing?

Carmine Giovinazzo: I've been in L.A. for most of it. I actually got a band together and have been writing a lot of music. [Our name] isn't definite yet. We're writing songs. We've got about eight or nine of them and when I get back we have to seal them up. So I'm really excited. That's what I ended up focusing on; I put aside business and decided this was what I was going to do. I've got a really good drummer and a really, really good lead guitar player. I'm playing guitar and vocals. It's going to be good.

CSI Files: You're headed back to work at CSI: New York soon for the show's fourth season. Do you know what's coming up for Danny this year?

Giovinazzo: They said they really want to pick up where they left off in season three, keep some sort of excitement like that going, really come up with bigger episodes, bigger pictures. That's all I know so far. Obviously, I'm going to come back with some continuity from the last episode (the third season finale, "Snow Day") which is going to be great.

CSI Files: So the the writers are going to follow up on Danny's injuries in the season finale?

Giovinazzo: I haven't gotten into it with [CSI: New York showrunner] <font color=yellow>Anthony Zuiker</font> yet, but he told me some of the storylines, and they're really focusing on the story and the concept and ideas for the episodes. [Executive Producer] <font color=yellow>Peter Lenkov</font> and I talked about carrying on Danny being hurt in the last episode. Obviously, we're going to have to deal with me and Lindsay (<font color=yellow>Anna Belknap</font>) now; it's something they can't not deal with now, so I've already got those two things going in so that will have to be explored.

CSI Files: A lot of Danny's development last season was focused on this relationship with Lindsay. How do you feel about that?

Giovinazzo: I think it's good. I'm glad it got where it got and that we had a real, definite thing that happened between us. It was a little more there but not quite there [before], so it was good [that something happened]. It's fun to do.

CSI Files: Fans are very divided on the romance--some are thrilled with it and love it while other people think it's a bad development. How did you feel when the writers decided to play up this relationship with Danny and Lindsay?

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To read the full interviews, please click here.<center></center>

 

[Elsie]

Wow, Kristine you are the best! That is a seriously fantastic interview, and I probably speak for the majority of people here when I say I am so jealous of you...

Carmine was fairly forthcoming with his answers, which I didn't really expect. His take on Danny/Lindsay and, in particular, Lindsay's character was very interesting, I'm intrigued to see what will happen between them next season now given his responses.

I was glad to read about Louie, I really hope that is explored next season.

Oh, and we don't necessarily know how Danny feels, but at least Carmine thinks that Flack is cute!

 

[lookaboomerang]

The writers do read [the site]. The writers will come to me and say, "This is what they're saying about that!" or "This is what they're saying about taking your clothes off." Peter obliges you guys! I'm like the whore of the show.

Thank god! I absolutely LOVE this quote. :lol: Just as long as we're all on the same page here--Someone with power IS listening and Carmine knows he's the whore of the show. (I think we all know what the next logical step after taking the shirt off and doing the deed with Lindsay should be.) And I love the way he responded to the whole Flack over Lindsay thing. Flack is pretty cute sometimes! :lol: Hysterical.

 

[Top41]

Elsie said:
Wow, Kristine you are the best! That is a seriously fantastic interview, and I probably speak for the majority of people here when I say I am so jealous of you...

Thanks! I'm glad you like it. Carmine really does give great interviews. It's always awesome to talk to someone who is so into the show and obviously puts a lot of thought into it.

Carmine was fairly forthcoming with his answers, which I didn't really expect. His take on Danny/Lindsay and, in particular, Lindsay's character was very interesting, I'm intrigued to see what will happen between them next season now given his responses.

It's always awesome when an actor is really, really candid. I felt the same way about Danny being a "punching bag" so I can understand why he'd be happy that Danny and Lindsay are finally together!

I was glad to read about Louie, I really hope that is explored next season.

I know, same here!

Oh, and we don't necessarily know how Danny feels, but at least Carmine thinks that Flack is cute!

Hear that, Flack? Go for it! :lol:

lookaboomerang said:

The writers do read [the site]. The writers will come to me and say, "This is what they're saying about that!" or "This is what they're saying about taking your clothes off." Peter obliges you guys! I'm like the whore of the show.

Thank god! I absolutely LOVE this quote. :lol: Just as long as we're all on the same page here--Someone with power IS listening and Carmine knows he's the whore of the show. (I think we all know what the next logical step after taking the shirt off and doing the deed with Lindsay should be.) And I love the way he responded to the whole Flack over Lindsay thing. Flack is pretty cute sometimes! :lol: Hysterical.

Yeah, those quotes were both really funny. I was cracking up. Lenkov got called out! Let me just take the opportunity to remind Mr. Lenkov how much we love him.

 

[Faylinn]

Eeeeexcellent interview, as always, Kristine!

He seems to read TalkCSI--He specifically mentioned us? That's pretty awesome!

It's nice to know that the people involved with the show are aware of (and care about) what the fans are thinking--now let's hope they follow through with some of these ideas he mentioned to get Danny back in the saddle, so to speak. I really want to see more of that fire and passion that we all (including Carmine, apparently ) love so much. I understand that there are a lot of characters on the show, but I don't think one person should end up in the background for the whole season. Danny had very little to do this season.

Hopefully season 4 will find everyone in a more equal place. Arcs and individual episodes can concentrate on certain characters and put others in the background, but I know the writers are capable of making it more fair for everyone. Danny missed out, but other characters (Hawkes, Flack, etc) got totally shafted. It's a shame.

It's interesting to hear Carmine's thoughts on the relationship with Lindsay. (Oh, and kudos for being fair and positive about the relationship when you asked questions. ) He rambles a bit (I love him, but I can't imagine he was easy to understand :lol, but I got the sense that he was okay with the relationship itself so long as it didn't make him the "punching bag"--can't argue with that! I mean, if he's going to chase her, he should at least get something out of the deal. I was also interested to hear his take on the relationship for season 4--the way that Danny looked away from Lindsay at the end of "Snow Day" would fit (in my opinion at least) with the idea that she isn't everything he thought she'd be. I have no desire to see anything else with those two, certainly not bumping uglies on screen, but if they're going to do it they really need to make him an equal part of the relationship and not a damn puppy dog. *sigh*

So Carmine is definitely working on music--well, whether I like it or not (I'm back and forth with that miniscule clip on his site, which may or may not be an indication of the music he's doing now anyway), I'm glad he gave himself time to concentrate on something he loves and take some time away from acting. Working on a tv show like NY can be a grind, I'm sure, and since he mentioned being 'tired' during the third season, I hope this hiatus has given him a chance to recoup a bit.

It sounds like he and Eddie are good friends in real life--I think that has a lot to do with the fantasic on-screen chemistry those two have. I'm not sure how much acting can do, you know?

But I really loved his insight into Flack and Danny's relationship--Flack is definitely more mature than Danny without being in a place where he'd be more like Mac. Good stuff.

Carmine said:

Flack is pretty cute sometimes!

:lol: Pandering to the fangirls, Carmine. Always pandering. :lol:

As for the Flack vs. Lindsay question, I loved that answer! :lol: It seems like he's aware that not every fan is rooting for D/L at the end of the day--and (in my opinion), it seems like he doesn't have a problem with it. You gotta love a guy that can be alright with the fangirls slashing his character with his friend's character. But then, for me it's no different than pairing Danny with Lindsay, but I digress...

I'm not sure I agree with his (repeated) claims that it's alright for Danny to be used to prop Lindsay up because it gave her development--yes, it did, but it's not enough development (or necessarily the right kind of development) to bring her up to speed with the rest of the characters. She's been on the show for almost two years, now--that's more time on the show than not on it, so I would hope the same tactics aren't necessary anymore.

It's interesting that he was so candid about not liking some of the things the storylines forced him to do this season. I like that he spoke his mind without being overly critical. It's a tv show, and he's got to "bow down" to the writers, as he said, but he's still got his opinions.

I'm not, however, totally convinced by his explanation about why Danny chasing Lindsay makes sense for the character. (In my opinion), I'm not sure he was totally convinced by it either...

I'm hoping that the clashing with Mac isn't totally over--if the characters move beyond that, it shouldn't just be a footnote.

I'm not convinced that they couldn't have mentioned Louie. A single line in 24 episodes about "yeah, I'm going to visit Louie in rehab after I get off. He's doing better, but you know..."--that would have satisfied us, at least somewhat. It would have been better than two mentions of his name and nothing more, that's for sure.

I'm looking forward to seeing him in those film roles he mentioned--it's always nice to see a favorite actor stretching themselves into diverse roles.

Again, great interview! And Carmine is always full of interesting (really long, rambly, potentially-hard-to-deciper) answers! :lol:

*Smooches* to Carmine for taking the time to give back to the fans a bit! I hope he gets what he's wishing for in season 4, and I hope those of us who haven't been totally thrilled with Danny lately can fall back in love with him.

 

[dutch_treat]

Txs for this interview. I really like how he's talking about his character and the show.

Obviously, I'm going to come back with some continuity from the last episode (the third season finale)

It wasn't obvious considering how they handled Flack's situation from S02E24-S03E01, but this time we're gonna get to see how Danny's going to recover/suffer from his injuries. I wonder what will happen.

I think the thing with Lindsay is good because it's going to help define her. I know how people feel about that, but it's tough because they have to spread out the cards for everybody. Maybe they'll focus more on her as a single character this year.

When he knows how people feel about that I can only assume that the writers know it too and find a way to really focus on Lindsay as an independent person.

And Louie lives!

 

[lookaboomerang]

I'm happy that he came right out and said that Louie was indeed alive. I was worried that that ship had sailed and was long forgotten about. I'm interested to see where they'll pick up on that. Lenkov, I'm counting on you here! Anytime we see your name as a writer we know that there's a pretty damn good chance that Danny with have a. nudity or b. mental anguish and someimtes, you surprise us and throw both in. :lol: You are the only logical one to bring Louie back to life.

I'm excited to see what kind of music his band comes out with. I love that the actors want to be musicians and the musicians want to be actors. :lol: More power to ya if you can actually have your cake and eat it too.

Any behind the scenes mention of a certain trip that is in 20 days?

 

[MrsGiovinazzo]

Great interview, as always, Kristine. I may be biased, but I think your Carmine interviews are some of your best. Your questions cover all the bases and he gives well-thought responses. I love that he seems to ramble a bit because it gives fans a nice, full answer.

Thank God someone definitely answered the question about Louie for us. That's a great storyline and it's nice to know that the writers are interested in revisiting it.

It was also nice to get Carmine's take on the whole Danny as a punching bag thing. There are many fans who didn't like seeing Danny turn into some chick's doormat, but when viewed from the perspective of Danny being an emotional, sensitive guy, it makes sense ... sort of. I was seeing it from the perspective that a hot-headed guy (like Danny of seasons past) would have told the girl to go f--- herself long ago.

Also loving the quote about Flack being cute sometimes. The man certainly knows what some fangirls want to hear. :devil: Btw, Carmine, thank you for that. GO TEAM FLACK!!!

 

[Top41]

Thanks, guys!

Faylinn said:
He seems to read TalkCSI--He specifically mentioned us? That's pretty awesome!

Yeah, he mentioned reading here once in a while, and that the writers did as well. That was very cool.

It's interesting to hear Carmine's thoughts on the relationship with Lindsay. (Oh, and kudos for being fair and positive about the relationship when you asked questions. ) He rambles a bit (I love him, but I can't imagine he was easy to understand :lol, but I got the sense that he was okay with the relationship itself so long as it didn't make him the "punching bag"--can't argue with that! I mean, if he's going to chase her, he should at least get something out of the deal.

Yeah, exactly. And from his perspective, that makes total sense. Who wants their character to end up looking like a doormat for another character? It makes sense that he wouldn't like that. Now that they've actually hooked up, it doesn't make Danny look pathetic or overly needy or like he's not getting the hint. Now that it's obviously mutual, it's probably more fun to play.

I was also interested to hear his take on the relationship for season 4--the way that Danny looked away from Lindsay at the end of "Snow Day" would fit (in my opinion at least) with the idea that she isn't everything he thought she'd be. I have no desire to see anything else with those two, certainly not bumping uglies on screen, but if they're going to do it they really need to make him an equal part of the relationship and not a damn puppy dog. *sigh*

I guess we'll see what happens. I'm not in love with the idea of Danny cheating by any means, but if she continues to treat him like a doormat and he walks away from her, that makes sense.

Carmine said:

Flack is pretty cute sometimes!

:lol: Pandering to the fangirls, Carmine. Always pandering. :lol:

That was a hilarious moment. The guy's got a great sense of humor and likes to please the fangirls. :lol: And hey, he's got a good point--Flack is pretty cute. :lol:

It's interesting that he was so candid about not liking some of the things the storylines forced him to do this season. I like that he spoke his mind without being overly critical. It's a tv show, and he's got to "bow down" to the writers, as he said, but he's still got his opinions.

I liked his honesty and frankness. I can't imagine any actor loves every storyline thrown at them. (I'd love to hear Melina's take on "All Access." :lol: ) I think he was respectful of the writers while still being pretty forthright about it. There must be a cool environment on the show if that level of comfort exists.

I'm not convinced that they couldn't have mentioned Louie. A single line in 24 episodes about "yeah, I'm going to visit Louie in rehab after I get off. He's doing better, but you know..."--that would have satisfied us, at least somewhat. It would have been better than two mentions of his name and nothing more, that's for sure.

My guess would be that they didn't want to cut off any avenues for possible stories in the future. What if they say he's out of the coma and the story they come up with makes more sense if he's just woken up from the coma, years later? By not touching upon it, they leave those possibilities open. Just a guess.

Again, great interview! And Carmine is always full of interesting (really long, rambly, potentially-hard-to-deciper) answers! :lol:

Thank you! :lol: His style really is very conversational, which is great because it makes for a very dynamic phone interview. But sometimes those thoughts are a little harder to translate to the (web)page. Hope it all came across okay.

dutch_treat said:
It wasn't obvious considering how they handled Flack's situation from S02E24-S03E01, but this time we're gonna get to see how Danny's going to recover/suffer from his injuries. I wonder what will happen.

I'm really glad we're getting that. Danny's a much more emotional character than Flack, and I can see him really grappling with both the physical injuries and the fallout from being held hostage and feeling helpless (even if he did fight back).

When he knows how people feel about that I can only assume that the writers know it too and find a way to really focus on Lindsay as an independent person.

Hopefully--I think at this point, that really would be best for the character's development.

lookaboomerang said:
Any behind the scenes mention of a certain trip that is in 20 days?

Yes, I told the man to hide in his house and not come out for four days.

LOL, no, no mention.

MrsGiovinazzo said:
Great interview, as always, Kristine. I may be biased, but I think your Carmine interviews are some of your best. Your questions cover all the bases and he gives well-thought responses. I love that he seems to ramble a bit because it gives fans a nice, full answer.

Thank you--I try not to edit him down too much because I love how fired up he gets about things, and I like how he puts things.

Also loving the quote about Flack being cute sometimes. The man certainly knows what some fangirls want to hear. :devil: Btw, Carmine, thank you for that. GO TEAM FLACK!!!

:lol: He's good at telling the ladies what they like to hear. There's something in the interview for everyone, I think.

 

[ka990]

Great interview Top! :lol: How do you get to arrange these interviews and was it difficult to get him to do the interview?

BTW, and this is only my take on it, I found his comments on Seasons 1 - 3 interesting, that he attacked S1 but felt he was held back almost from S2 onwards in order to allow character development for Lindsay. Yes, he understood why he couldn't always do what he wanted or wasn't given the scripts he always wanted but still there seems some frustration that for S3 Danny was used to prop up another character - surely if a certain character/actress was good enough a prop wouldn't have been needed?

Also he mentions his hopes for S4 in that he wants Danny back to his S1 self - it's great he feels like us that there has been something missing from Danny since S2.

I hope he gets what he wants from S4 - I found it interesting thought that he mentioned his band and the film he did with his cousin(?) - it seems as if he is lining up something after NY? Makes me wonder what direction he will take if S4 isn't what he hopes it will be. (Then again, maybe I'm reading something into it that ain't there!) :lol:

 

[Top41]

ka990 said:
Great interview Top! :lol: How do you get to arrange these interviews and was it difficult to get him to do the interview?

Thank you! I think because our site is the largest, we're very fortunate in that the actors and writers from the shows are generally willing to do interviews. And, lol, no, luckily they don't make us beg.

BTW, and this is only my take on it, I found his comments on Seasons 1 - 3 interesting, that he attacked S1 but felt he was held back almost from S2 onwards in order to allow character development for Lindsay. Yes, he understood why he couldn't always do what he wanted or wasn't given the scripts he always wanted but still there seems some frustration that for S3 Danny was used to prop up another character - surely if a certain character/actress was good enough a prop wouldn't have been needed?

Well, those are my thoughts on it as well--by her second season on the show, the actress/character should be able to stand on her own. Natalia Boa Vista was introduced in a similar way on Miami, but in her second season on the show, she moved beyond just being a love interest type character, whereas Lindsay has moved even more into that role. As a woman, I find it a bit offensive that new female characters have to be "propped up" by male ones, but that's neither here nor there with regards to Carmine.

I think Carmine was sincere when he said: "But I don't mind being the utility guy--you can use me for what you need to use me for." He also said he wants that intensity back for Danny, but he did seem okay with the writers using Danny to prop Lindsay up.

Also he mentions his hopes for S4 in that he wants Danny back to his S1 self - it's great he feels like us that there has been something missing from Danny since S2.

Agreed. I hope he--and we --gets what he wants.

I hope he gets what he wants from S4 - I found it interesting thought that he mentioned his band and the film he did with his cousin(?) - it seems as if he is lining up something after NY? Makes me wonder what direction he will take if S4 isn't what he hopes it will be. (Then again, maybe I'm reading something into it that ain't there!) :lol:

Yeah, I didn't get a sense that he wants to move on from CSI: NY anytime soon. I have to respect his work ethic--I don't get the sense at all from him that he's a "you do it my way or I'm going to throw a fit/walk away" type. He really seems like a team player.

 

[audrina]

This was an interesting interview, as I expect most with Carmine Giovinazzo would be! What I'm most excited about is that it sounds like Louie may be making an appearance.

As for his injury, it will annoy me a bit if they make too much of his broken hand, especially in light of how little follow up we got regarding Flack's critical injuries. We'll see.

 

[Top41]

audrina said:
This was an interesting interview, as I expect most with Carmine Giovinazzo would be! What I'm most excited about is that it sounds like Louie may be making an appearance.

I know! I hope they do find that story for Louie--it would be great to have him show up again. I think there's a lot that can be explored with him, and it could have a profound affect on Danny. I think it's cool that there was discussion about maybe tying Louie and Danny in with the Snow Day mob. There's definitely material there to work with.

As for his injury, it will annoy me a bit if they make too much of his broken hand, especially in light of how little follow up we got regarding Flack's critical injuries. We'll see.

I wonder if part of it will be emotional. Didn't Danny say in "The Closer" that a wrist injury ended his hopes for playing baseball? Danny could worry that his hand injury will affect his ability to his job as a CSI, or it could just be hard for him emotionally because it is so similar to another injury that cost him something that mattered to him. I hope they don't go the route Grey's Anatomy did with Burke, where Danny is hiding how much his injury is still affecting him and it interferes with his job.

I also wonder if they're going to be jumping several months like they did last summer, or if they'll be picking up right where they left off. I think that'll make a lot of difference. They jumped ahead several months this past year, I think to get Flack back on the job.

 

[audrina]

Top41 said:
I wonder if part of it will be emotional. Didn't Danny say in "The Closer" that a wrist injury ended his hopes for playing baseball? Danny could worry that his hand injury will affect his ability to his job as a CSI, or it could just be hard for him emotionally because it is so similar to another injury that cost him something that mattered to him. I hope they don't go the route Grey's Anatomy did with Burke, where Danny is hiding how much his injury is still affecting him and it interferes with his job.

I also wonder if they're going to be jumping several months like they did last summer, or if they'll be picking up right where they left off. I think that'll make a lot of difference. They jumped ahead several months this past year, I think to get Flack back on the job.

I know they jumped ahead and, strangely, even though Flack's injuries were life-threatening and Danny's wasn't, Danny's injury had more of a chance of affecting his job, since CSIs need to have deft use of their fingers. Still, Flack almost died, and it bothers me that all we had was some lame joking banter. I would have loved to have seen he and Mac address it somehow. *shrugs* That's just me.

I also hope they don't go the Grey's route. That would just bug me. I also hope they follow up on Adam, since they did such a nice job this year of increasing our knowledge of him, bit by bit, then culminating in Snow Day.

On a side note, I wonder if they'll add any side characters to the main cast credits, like AJ Buckley or Robert Joy? I'd love it. I mean, they added Greg on LV, and the MEs on Miami and LV are part of the casts, not to mention Eva LaRue. I believe NY is the only one that hasn't added a supporting character to its cast (I don't count Anna as she was really replacement for a main character). One can hope!

 

[Top41]

audrina said:
I know they jumped ahead and, strangely, even though Flack's injuries were life-threatening and Danny's wasn't, Danny's injury had more of a chance of affecting his job, since CSIs need to have deft use of their fingers. Still, Flack almost died, and it bothers me that all we had was some lame joking banter. I would have loved to have seen he and Mac address it somehow. *shrugs* That's just me.

I would have loved to see something come up between Mac and Flack about Mac saving Flack's life, especially given the tension between the two this past season. Without a doubt, an opportunity was missed there.

But, two wrongs don't make a right, and glossing over Danny's injuries won't make up for not addressing Flack's. I also think Danny is more likely to have emotional fallout--he was held hostage and beaten during his ordeal. And let's face it--Danny is an incredibly volatile and emotional character. He's something of a drama queen, so if you give him something to be dramatic about, he'll run with it. :lol:

I also hope they don't go the Grey's route. That would just bug me. I also hope they follow up on Adam, since they did such a nice job this year of increasing our knowledge of him, bit by bit, then culminating in Snow Day.

I hope we get some follow up with Adam, too. Adam really rose to the occasion and got to play the hero himself in the end--will that increase his confidence? I'd love to see them go that route with Adam.

On a side note, I wonder if they'll add any side characters to the main cast credits, like AJ Buckley or Robert Joy? I'd love it. I mean, they added Greg on LV, and the MEs on Miami and LV are part of the casts, not to mention Eva LaRue. I believe NY is the only one that hasn't added a supporting character to its cast (I don't count Anna as she was really replacement for a main character). One can hope!

Yeah, NY hasn't added a supporting character yet, and it certainly would be a great time to do so. Either AJ Buckley or Robert Joy would be great--or how about both?