Paul Guilfoyle (Jim Brass) spoke recently about what keeps him on CSI, when he could also be expanding his three-decade film career with more character actor roles.

Since making his debut in the 1975 film Next Door, Guilfoyle has appeared in films such as L.A. Confidential, Air Force One and Primary Colors, and workied with directors such as Steven Spielberg and Robert Redford. But the role of Jim Brass provides him with an opportunity his many one-shot movie roles did not. "The interesting thing about a long-term television role is that over time, I've tried to utilize the tools of change and relationship development whenever there's the chance for that," Guilfoyle told Jay Bobbin of Zap2It.

A main reason why Guilfoyle can be so content with his role on CSI is probably because he's also still working on other projects, even though these have mostly been limited to low-key TV movies over the past few years. "One of the reasons I try to stay under the radar publicitywise is so people can still receive and accept me in other parts," Guilfoyle said. "I still manage to do a movie every summer. I try to stay available for that, because I enjoy doing different roles."

As much as Guilfoyle has tried to stay under the radar, he's still one of the stars of TV's most popular show. Zap2It asked him why he thinks the show is so popular: "We're always trying to show authenticity. [...] The CSI investigators find the evidence while the other detectives process it. When people start commenting on 'procedural drama' versus other kinds of drama, I don't really know what that means. Our show does have a lot of procedures involved, but to me, drama is drama."

The full interview, in which Guilfoyle also talks about how he is still frequently confused with another Paul Guilfoyle, an actor who appeared in films such as The Grapes of Wrath, can be found here. Thanks go out to Al Forno and Mel for this!

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