'CSI: NY' star Sela Ward considered retiring
by: Tyrone Warner
Date: 2/24/2011 3:44:00 PM ET
Acting wasn’t originally in 54-year-old Sela Ward’s plans.
Born in Meridian, Mississippi, Ward was working in New York City as a storyboard artist when she was recruited by the prestigious Wilhelmina modeling agency.
After deciding to try her luck in California, Ward landed her first feature film role alongside Tom Selleck in “The Man Who Loved Women,” which was released in 1983. Following her debut she made a number of appearances in film and television roles, eventually earning an Emmy for her portrayal of Teddy Reed in “Sisters.”
However, Ward started to feel the pinch of being an actress approaching her 40s when she was infamously denied a role in one of the James Bond films, starring then 42-year-old Pierce Brosnan.
It stung in particular when Ward heard through her agent that “What we really want is Sela, but Sela ten years ago.”
“I turned it into a positive and did a documentary for Lifetime on ageism in Hollywood… there were a lot of things in the vein of what I wanted to speak about, [such as] why our culture in the United States is so youth-obsessed and doesn't value and revere age and wisdom and life experience,” says Ward about her disappointment and response during an interview with CTV.ca.
“I've had that midlife crisis now three times. And at 54… the roles are there, but my experience is they're that very vanilla mom who really has nothing to say in the piece. And that's just not fun for me anymore.”
Ward had returned to television in the 1999 series “Once and Again” as Lily Manning. The performance earned her a second Emmy, as well as a Golden Globe Award.
So when “CSI: New York” came calling after lead actress Melina Kanakaredes departed the series in 2010, Ward wasn’t exactly excited at the prospect of joining another series.
Supposedly Ward had already spurned offers on roles as Megan Donner on “CSI: Miami” and Susan Mayer on “Desperate Housewives” (Teri Hatcher later took the part).
But “CSI: New York” reached out to Ward at exactly the right time.
“When this call came up… now that my children are older and I had thought I was going to retire, I was back to painting in my studio, and I was really bumping into walls,” remembers Ward.
“I was just so bored out of my mind. And I thought, ‘Oh, my God,’ because my identity is still so tied up into being an actor. And I really, really missed it. Really missed what I do, you know?”
After accepting, Ward had a number of discussions with “CSI: New York” producer Pam Veasey about her character Jo Danville while on vacation at her farm.
“I was trying to just do anything to grasp it, trying to develop a character when I really hadn't read a damn thing. This kind of show, it’s hard to create a real full character because you don't really get to delve into their personal lives for the most part,” says Ward.
“If you can find a way to create a real well-rounded character that's rich and interesting to watch, I think that only enhances the show. I'll let you know when I've gotten there.”
While that evidence she’s having a good time comes across onscreen during “CSI: New York,” Ward admits that during the first five episodes of the series, she felt over her head with the scientific expositional jargon… especially coming from the world of family drama.
“I hadn't watched enough of these shows before I said yes, because I was just plopped into something that was very different for me. But its fun now,” says Ward.
“Took me a while,” she adds with a laugh.
Despite all her challenges, Ward has had no regrets with “CSI: New York.”
“I can have a balance, and I'm so happy I did it. And it's so different, you know. It's such a different role that it's challenging and sort of shakes everything up for me.”
Unlike other actresses in Hollywood who have tried to deny the aging process by undergoing extensive plastic surgery, Ward has resisted, and says she is proud of the evidence of that, and can see it on screen in her performance on “CSI: New York.”
“Because it's been a while since I've worked, to be working and see the culmination of that life experience at 54 on screen… I love what I see up there because I see that much life lived, that much knowing, that much understanding, that much savviness, that much confidence. So that feels good,” says Ward.
“I love that [series star] Gary (Sinise) is a year older than I am. And we're adults playing… having fun.”
Catch “CSI: New York” Friday nights on CTV, with full episodes available online at CTV.ca.
