Jon Wellner

<font color=yellow>Jon Wellner</font> wears two hats at CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; in addition to playing Henry Andrews, the lovably neurotic toxicologist on the show, he also is a researcher, alongside <font color=yellow>David Berman</font>, for the show, responsible for making sure everything that winds up on the air is accurate. Wellner took some time to discuss the two 'lab rats' episodes, "Lab Rats" and "You Kill Me" that turned the spotlight on his character and the other techs who assist the CSIs, as well as his experience doing research for the show.

CSI Files: You've been playing Henry for over two years now! How did you get the role?

Jon Wellner: I started in season five. I actually just auditioned like a regular actor. I actually was in "Unbearable" and I played Sam Tracy, who was a bad zookeeper! Then I figured, 'oh great, I did an episode of CSI; that's fantastic.' And then they called me like four episodes later and said, "Do you want to play the toxicologist?" And I'm like, "Cool, but I'm in jail probably!" They're like, "No, we'll give you a different character. We like you!" I was shocked and amazed and so grateful, and I've been Henry Andrews ever since.

CSI Files: Were they concerned that you'd just been a murderer in a recent episode?

Wellner: They didn't seem to show any concern, probably because they figured no one was going to remember me! I'm not a memorable guy! I didn't wear my glasses [as Henry] and I did when I was Sam Tracy, and I was wearing a hat, so you probably couldn't see me that well, and I was only in a couple of scenes. So I don't think I was fully established. And <font color=yellow>Archie [Johnson</font>, Archie Kao] played a security guard in an episode. They were okay with it.

CSI Files:You also do research for the show. Did you start doing that before landing the role of Henry, or after?

Wellner: I started researching in season four before I got on the show. I met <font color=yellow>David Berman</font>, who's the head researcher, in <font color=yellow>Jeff Perry</font>'s acting class. David and I became friends and he at that time needed an assistant, so I started out part time and quickly moved to full time. At first I didn't know what I was doing so it was pretty difficult, but now I have a whole network of people I work with and it's great.

CSI Files: What's your typical day as a researcher like?

Wellner: I wake up and usually there are questions that the writers have e-mailed us, and we just immediately get to work on who would be best able to answer these questions for us. If it's a law question, we go through our list of lawyers and figure out who might know it best and then contact them, put an answer together and send it out. We might be working on two or three episodes at a time, so we try to prioritize, too. Throughout the day we're getting more questions--follow up to whatever we send in--when there's actually writing happening!

CSI Files: Do you find it's a full day? Is it stressful work, or does it vary?

Wellner: It can be stressful because you can't ever get anything wrong. I feel like I'm back giving a school report except I have to get an A! It's a pretty full day. And sometimes David's shooting, so I'm working, and sometimes I'm shooting, so he's doing the research. We work together whenever we can, but when one of us is shooting, the other one picks up the load.

CSI Files: How hard is it to fit in both the research work and being in front of the camera as Henry?

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I love Henry, he's the sweetest lab geek in CSI, and he was fantastic in 'You Kill Me'. Great interview Kristine.

Aww, Jon Wellner seems like a really lovely guy. I love the thought of him and David Berman sat there researching for the show, it's great that they get to see two sides of the show and a full time job from it despite not being regular cast members.

:lol: Researching whether or not you could fit a child into a barbeque? I bet they must get some very strange responses to their very strange questions...