{"id":17232,"date":"2011-10-02T12:54:15","date_gmt":"2011-10-02T19:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.csifiles.com\/content\/?p=17232"},"modified":"2011-10-02T13:17:20","modified_gmt":"2011-10-02T20:17:20","slug":"interview-jon-wellner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.csifiles.com\/content\/2011\/10\/interview-jon-wellner\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Jon Wellner"},"content":{"rendered":"

Art imitates life for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation\u2019<\/em>s Jon Wellner<\/strong>, as his alter ego is soon to be sporting two hats in the Las Vegas Crime Lab. The actor and head-researcher makes his first appearance in season twelve during this week\u2019s episode \u201cBittersweet\u201d<\/a> with quite a reveal: he\u2019s been promoted! CSI Files\u2019 Shane Saunders<\/strong> spoke with Wellner\u2014now in his seventh year on the show\u2014this past Friday to discuss what\u2019s in store for his character. (Some spoilers after the jump!)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: You\u2019re back in action Wednesday for the first time in season twelve. What\u2019s Henry Andrews up to this season?<\/p>\n

Jon Wellner<\/strong>: Well, as you will find out on Wednesday, Henry has been promoted to DNA tech; so I\u2019m not only doing toxicology but I\u2019m also the DNA tech, which I love.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: Does he adapt well to his new responsibilities?<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: Yeah, you\u2019ll find that Henry loves having more responsibilities in the lab and he loves trying to prove to his superiors that he\u2019s capable of handling all this. As an actor, I\u2019m just so pleased and blessed to be given this opportunity.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: With Henry working in DNA does he feel a bit emotional working in there, since Wendy previously occupied it?<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: Right. That stuff hasn\u2019t come out onscreen but when I think about it from a character standpoint; he\u2019s following in the footsteps of a person that he loved. So it\u2019s kind of remarkable to him like, oh he gets to do what Wendy did and he doesn\u2019t want to screw it up; it\u2019s like a sacred position at CSI.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: If there\u2019s one storyline this season for Henry what would you like it to be?<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: [Laughs.] Gosh, there\u2019s so many because we have the new characters. I think Henry probably has a crush on Morgan [Brody, Elisabeth Harnois<\/strong>], but is afraid to say so. He still has some issues with Hodges [Wallace Langham<\/strong>] and he wants to impress Russell. So I think there\u2019s a lot of stories there.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: Elisabeth Harnois and Jorja Fox<\/strong> (Sara Sidle) talked to me a few weeks ago and they said there\u2019s a little bit of a love triangle going on this season. I can probably see Greg (Eric Szmanda<\/strong>) involved somehow; is Henry the other person?<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: No, I think in terms of attractiveness Henry is pretty low on the totem pole. [Laughs.] I think as you saw last week, you saw Sanders start to get a little interested in Morgan and then Nick said \u2018you don\u2019t want to go there.\u2019 We\u2019ll see as the season goes on who develops more crushes. I\u2019m interested to see.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: Henry\u2019s a little quirky and neurotic and new guy DB Russell (Ted Danson<\/strong>) has showed off a bit of his quirkiness. Do the two get along well?<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: I love Ted Danson; bold, underline, all caps. [Laughs.] He\u2019s the greatest and I\u2019ve just been so lucky to work with\u2014to go from Billy<\/strong> [Petersen<\/strong>, Gil Grissom] to Fishburne<\/strong> [Ray Langston] to Ted Danson, like how lucky can we be. I think Henry really appreciates how professional DB is and wants to impress him and solve some crimes. It\u2019s a good mix; the fact that Russell has a sense of humor helps because Henry has a sense of humor, too. Sometimes with Grissom he would say a joke and he would just look at him and go, \u2018what are you talking about?\u2019 Maybe now that there\u2019s a little more comedy in the air Henry feels freer to throw out some jokes.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: This season there will be a lot more lightness compared to the gloom of the past couple seasons?<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: I agree with that. I think Fishburne having a character with all of his backstory and pain dealing with a serial killer, you can\u2019t really have but a dark season. Now for the first time bringing in a family guy who\u2019s kind of a hippie and who doesn\u2019t take his work too seriously, it\u2019s refreshing and a change of pace. I think you can really feel it just by the two episodes you\u2019ve seen; it almost feels like a new show with all this energy behind it. I think that\u2019s the reality of it; of a real crime lab, too.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: CSI<\/em> has always been great but I feel the past two seasons were less science, more serial killer tracking down. Watching the first two episodes I was like\u2026 whoa; this is amazing.<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: Absolutely. Last week I watched it with my wife and we both looked at each other and went, \u2018oh my God, it\u2019s like a new show again.\u2019 It\u2019s back to what makes CSI<\/em> great; great story telling, great direction, great writing. It\u2019s just fresh. I think you\u2019re going to find the whole season plays that way.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: And it\u2019s not just one specific thing that\u2019s been changed. I\u2019ve noticed there\u2019s more of an ensemble feel this season, they\u2019ve gone back to the CSI shots which haven\u2019t been put in as much lately, Catherine\u2019s feisty again; it\u2019s classic CSI<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: It\u2019s almost like when a car gets updated; you go it\u2019s the classic look of the car, but with an updated style. That\u2019s what I feel; we\u2019re back to what makes CSI<\/em> great, but what makes it new and hip for today. They\u2019ve managed to keep a show that\u2019s twelve years old fresh and energetic and just thrilling. It\u2019s a testament to how amazing the writers and producers are.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: Wendy Simms (Liz Vassey<\/strong>) was very close to both Henry and Hodges, and both of you formed some sort of romantic relationship with her. You teased that you kind of have a crush on Morgan, but do you think there will be a love interest for Henry coming down the road?<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: I honestly don\u2019t really see that because there\u2019s so many other characters to develop that with before you get to Henry. I know my place in the lab and I wonder if Henry just felt so burned about everything that happened that he\u2019s going to go, \u2018I\u2019ll find my girls outside of the lab.\u2019<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: Henry\u2019s lab is really his home away from home and with Wendy gone and Catherine on her way out, do you think Henry will have a hard time coping with these significant losses?<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: I think so. I think it was really hard when Wendy first left, but so much time has passed now that he\u2019s over that. He doesn\u2019t know that Catherine is leaving yet; I know as Jon Wellner that she is but Henry doesn\u2019t know. But that\u2019s the nature of the business. We\u2019ve had lots of new people come in and out, and I think it\u2019s like anything in life; it\u2019s a little sad and bittersweet but someone comes in and work goes on. That\u2019s why Henry\u2019s there, for the work. He loves the work and the chance to solve these crimes. It\u2019ll be really hard when Catherine leaves, same as when Grissom left. It\u2019s still hard; I still miss Billy and Henry still misses Grissom. But we have new people and we\u2019re so happy to have them there.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: And how is Jon Wellner dealing with Marg Helgenberger<\/strong> leaving the show?<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: I\u2019m so sad. The first day I saw her I gave her a big hug and said, \u2018please don\u2019t go!\u2019 And then I felt bad saying that. [Laughs.] I was like, \u2018actually it\u2019s okay, I\u2019m sorry.\u2019 Look, she worked her ass off for twelve years, so she deserves to do what she wants and we\u2019ll definitely miss her. I love everybody in this cast and it\u2019s hard to say goodbye to any of them. But the show must go on, right? I can understand it as an actor and I can understand it as her character; it\u2019s just time to go. I mean, how many actors have done twelve years of series television?<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: Some shows don\u2019t even make it twelve years.<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: Most shows hardly make it six years. The amount of time and energy that she\u2019s put in, she deserves to go out on her own terms and I think it\u2019s going to make for some very compelling shows, too. I\u2019m interested to see how they work that in.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: During the summer you went with Elisabeth to Las Vegas and met with coroner Dr T<\/strong> to acquaint her with some of the material the show deals with. Which one of you had the weaker stomach during the visit?<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: [Laughs.] I\u2019d love to say it was me, but I don\u2019t know. She was unbelievable. That was my second time going there so I think the shock of seeing a dead body\u2026 that\u2019s something she had to deal with. She jumped right into there, man. Holding a brain and asking questions; she did an amazing job. After a while I was like, \u2018eh, I think I\u2019m going to go now and step out.\u2019 There\u2019s a big difference between the set where Dr Robbins [Robert David Hall<\/strong>] works and real life where Dr T works. It\u2019s almost so real that it seems fake, if that makes sense to you. Elisabeth did an amazing job, as did Ted. He went the week after with David Berman<\/strong> [David Phillips]. Both of them, for people who have never seen an autopsy before, jumping in there and holding skullcaps, did pretty amazing.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: You\u2019re good friends with David Berman. You\u2019re both researchers on CSI<\/em>, acting on the show, doing guest appearances on other shows; the list just goes on and on. How do the two of you have time to do anything else?<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: [Laughs.] Well we support each other. Both David and Josh<\/strong> [Berman<\/strong>] changed my life dramatically. I met David in an acting class and he was working on CSI<\/em> and his brother also was. When I got the research job it was to help David because he was shooting so much he didn\u2019t have as much time. So basically it\u2019s worked out to this great system where if David\u2019s shooting, I\u2019m handling the research and vice versa. If David has to go shoot Drop Dead Diva<\/em> then I handle the research; if I have to go out and shoot Bones<\/em> or any other shows then he handles it. When we do our speaking engagements that\u2019s usually on the weekend when there\u2019s no work, or if it is during the week we\u2019re so wireless these days you can bring your laptop or your iPhone. It\u2019s a busy, busy schedule but we love it. I love the opportunities that CSI<\/em> has afforded me.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: You\u2019ve teamed with VisionWalk<\/a>, which is a really great cause with a goal to fight blindness. How are you doing in regards to your fundraising efforts?<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: Pretty good. I\u2019m really happy to be working with such a great charity. It\u2019s tough obviously the way with the way the economy\u2019s going for people to be charitable, but people have been so great in terms of my fundraising. I hate asking people for help, I really do. But when I do people just come out and support me and that\u2019s been wonderful.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: Has there been discussion about possibly reviving the lab rat episodes this season?<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: I haven\u2019t heard anything. I kind of feel like we had our run and without Wendy there\u2019s no lab rats, you know? I would love it, obviously. They\u2019re always fun, but I haven\u2019t heard anything. Hopefully there will still be some great stuff between Hodges and I. You never know what\u2019s going to happen. They\u2019re writing episode eleven now and we\u2019re doing twenty-two I think. Who knows.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t know before my big episode \u201cAppendicitement\u201d<\/a> that is was my episode essentially. I didn\u2019t know it was happening until a week before.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: That was a fun episode.<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: That was the most fun I have ever had! And I knew it while I was shooting it.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: You just finished filming episode six, do you know what other episodes you have coming up?<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: No because they just wrapped six, I\u2019m not in seven, and it looks like I\u2019m in eight. So as of today I\u2019m in episode three, five, and six.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: What can you tease about episode eight?<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: I actually can\u2019t because it\u2019s just in outline form now. I was all over episode seven and then it completely changed, so I\u2019d hate to tease anything when it\u2019s in such an early stage. I think in episode six is the most we can talk about because that\u2019s actually been shot. That\u2019s the \u201cFreaks and Geeks\u201d shoot, have you heard anything about that stuff?<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: I don\u2019t know what Henry\u2019s doing in it!<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: Oh, I just have a quick scene. In episode five there\u2019s this whole adventure and helicopter thing that\u2019s kind of amazing. Six is like our Halloween episode, I guess you could say. It\u2019s with these amazing circus freaks that should be pretty brilliant.<\/p>\n

CSI Files<\/strong>: I hear that\u2019s a big DB and Catherine episode, too.<\/p>\n

Wellner<\/strong>: Yes. The scene that I have I come in at the end of the two of them sitting in the break room and just talking. DB is kind of talking about when he was a kid and God the whole set was just so quiet. We don\u2019t know anything about his backstory and it\u2019s just so interesting to slowly get to learn a little bit about him. Everybody is just so interested in it I think and it\u2019s not like Langston where it was just so dark. It\u2019s interesting; he kind of had a happy childhood where his parents were together and performers and he traveled around. He\u2019s kind of like a hippie. I think the more we learn about him the more interesting it is.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Follow Jon Wellner on Twitter: @jonwellner<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Shane Saunders is a freelance writer and reviewer. His work can be seen on EDGE Network and ShaneSSaunders.com. Twitter:\u00a0@ShaneSSaunders<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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