Jorja Fox (Sara Sidle) sets the record straight.

"It's my call — and a very, very difficult one, something I've been thinking about for a long, long time," Fox told Entertainment Weekly. "It's one of the hardest decisions I've made in my life. It has nothing to do with my contract, nothing to do with money." Fox acknowledged the "incredible outpouring of support" that she has received from her fans, as well as their confusion over her departure. She chose to leave CSI: Crime Scene Investigation because "[t]here are so many things I want to do! Some are personal. Some are professional. And I really need to do some of them before I get too old."

Fox described CSI as "a really intense place to work," and she went on to say that one of the things that she has struggled with while working on the show is the violence. "A lot of the stories [on the show] do end sadly and badly," she explained. She anticipated ending up in that violent type of world again eventually, but for now "it's really good for me to take a break from it," she said.

"It has nothing to do with being bored," Fox said. "I wish it did! It would make it a lot easier to go." She had been in talks with CBS since January, and nothing was decided until June. "CBS was very flexible," she said. "We structured something a little odd." Fox was not interested in signing on for a full season, and "they were willing to roll with that." The situation, she pointed out, could have turned out differently if CBS had offered her a take-it-or-leave-it deal. However, "[t]hey were very gracious," she explained.

Fox described filming the eighth episode of the season, which was her last on the show. "The stakes will be very high," she said. "It required me to go deeper than I ever have. It was an emotional episode for everyone, certainly for me. I've been exhausted since before the premiere, in such an odd way." When asked if there was a possibility of Sara returning as a guest star, Fox could not say for sure. "It would be impossible to say definitely one way or another because the writers are still making that stuff up," she explained. "I would never rule anything out. But I'm not trying to lead anybody on, either." If the opportunity arose to guest-star, Fox said that she would be "thrilled."

So what's next for Fox? She mentioned travelling and also said that "there are several projects of my own that I'm excited about." However, none of those projects will be television series. "If I'm going to be on a TV show right now, it should be CSI," she explained. "I think I'll give it some time before I even entertain ideas of doing a different show." And as for whether leaving CSI in the first place was a mistake, Fox does not know. "It could be the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life," she said. "Only time will tell."

The full interview can be read on EW.com. Thanks to Elsie for the link.

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