It isn't quite Charles Dickens.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation's William Petersen (Gil Grissom) described Dublin Carol, the play he is currently performing at the Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, as "a little Christmas play about an Irish alcoholic on Christmas Eve in a funeral parlor in Dublin." The actor told North Shore Magazine, "I think it's a perfect antidote to these perky little Christmas plays that we are all tired of."

He said the play shows a different side of the holidays, particularly for those who don't have a family. "I think it's a realistic view of how lonely Christmas can be," Petersen continued. "But there's a lot of hope in it. It's funny, touching. It's a great hour and a half in the theater. It eventually puts people closer to what Christmas really should be."

The actor shared a story about his personal near-death experience. In the 1980s, he cut himself badly while doing a play and needed to go to the hospital. "I had gone out. Literally, my pulse and all of that had sort of disappeared," he explained. "While I was out I was sort of on the road to the other side. I don't think I would have died, but whatever happened to me, whatever sort of plane I went to after I passed out, was certainly part of the other side." He described the experience as a dark tunnel leading toward a bright light. "And there was a great desire to get to the light. I could tell it was a great, great place. Full of love and peace and crap like that. You know, postcard stuff," he continued. "I remember the whole rest of the night I was sort of blissed out by having seen that."

The actor said he would be prefer anonymity to recognition. "With the show, it's good and bad," he explained. Being on CSI provides "a great opportunity, and a great audience, and world distribution," Petersen said. However, the flip side of the coin is that he can't go out without being recognized. "At least I don't have paparazzi chasing me around," he continued. "They're not interested in old guys."

The original article is from North Shore Magazine.

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