When Greg Sanders moved out of the lab and onto crime scenes last season, it proved to actor Eric Szmanda that he made the right choice in signing on to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Appearing yesterday's edition of CBS's Early Show, Szmanda revealed that his agent had worried he would never rise out of the background if he were to take on the role of Greg Sanders. But Szmanda "had a good feeling about it," he said to Early Show host Julie Chen. "[I] had a good rapport with the producers from the beginning. And they assured me things would evolve. So I went against the representative advice and hung in there and I’m glad I did."

Now that he's on the show, Szmanda is especially happy he's able to serve as a role model for young people. "I’ve gotten fan mail from kids that have told me that they finally kind of opened up to the rest of the school and admitted that they were smart. I’m happy that I gave kids some motivation to be themselves. And I had one fan letter from a father who told me that his kid, who had no desire, no plans to go to college, finally had decided to go to school and study forensic science."

Even as Szmanda is inspiring kids across America, he himself is still learning from his fellow CSI actors. "William Petersen is an actor’s actor and he’s a good guy from Chicago," he said. "And he welcomed me with everything he had to offer. And Marg Helgenberger is great. You know, we have a lot of fun on the show. All of us have a great time together."

More from Szmanda, including a photo of his appearance on the Early Show, can be found by heading over to this page on the show's official web site.

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