“It is very challenging to think clearly because the stakes are so high,” Fox tells Parade.com in this exclusive interview. “It’s not only a dear friend and colleague that she worked with for years whose life is on the line, but secondly, the entire lab’s life’s work is on the line. Every case that they did is challenged. In addition to that, if all these criminals get out, a lot are really, really, really bad people who are going to be on the street at the same time. It’s almost going to be like Gotham City.” Luckily for Sara and Gil, they found a kindred spirit in Maxine Roby (Paula Newsome), who also wants to clear the lab’s name, so she isn’t above letting them do a little investigating on the DL via an “animal cruelty” case. “I think Sara and Max have some really profound, very simple things in common in that they’re both people that at the end of the day would rather get to the truth even if it means that they end up with not a lot of friends,” Fox said. “They are willing to take very profound risks to make sure that the truth stands. And that’s a very difficult place to be.” On tonight’s episode, the search for proof of Hodges’ innocence continues even as the CSI team has to investigate another case in which a cargo plane lands autonomously at McCarran Airport and everyone on board has been killed. Fox spoke more about her return to the role of Sara after a six-year absence, what it’s like working with the new cast members and the new technology, and how she and Gil can afford to stay in such a luxurious hotel suite! After a six-year absence you returned to the character, what was it like to play Sara once again? Well, it was a total surprise; I never really thought that we would ever revisit the show. I really thought that it was a book that had closed that had had many, many chapters, and we had such an amazing sendoff. I was a little nervous. I was like, “Do we want to pull Sara and Grissom out of paradise? Who gets that kind of an ending?” And then, of course, Sara obviously is my favorite character that I’ve ever played. I would never, ever tire of being Sara. And then I thought, “Wow! It’s so flattering, what an amazing opportunity. And the science has evolved in so many exciting ways.” The science is really in many ways the star of the show. And once I heard that Billy was thinking about doing it, I called him, and we talked. We were like, “All right, let’s go,” and it was easy. It was a little like Groundhog Day. In some ways the lab looked like the lab before. It was almost like nothing had changed, and yet at the same time everything had changed. It was a strange and really fun feeling. Initially, Sara was the only one that believed in Hodges’ innocence. Why is she so sure? I guess she’s a little stubborn like in the past. If she gets it in her brain, particularly her brain because she really is very logical with her thought process, especially about cases, maybe not so much about her husband, I figured if she got it in her mind, it would be almost impossible to change her mind. I think, honestly, it was really based on that very first scene when they go to the storage space. I think she saw in the evidence that it didn’t match up. It plays a little like wishful thinking, but I really do think that there’s been several times where Sara pushed on something, and pushed on it, and pushed on it, and nobody agreed with her. And, ultimately, she ended up being right, so I was really happy that she was this time. It was funny though because you hadn’t seen Sara and Grissom in so long and they start bickering very quickly and saying he’s even more reasonable than she is. So, I love that they both could be completely right in the truth and yet not see it the same way. Sara and Gil have been off on the boat doing whatever, but this is her life’s work blowing up if the lab is discredited. It’s everything she stood for. So, I would think that also would be a big part of the motivation for both of them to want to stay. I think the last screw in Sara’s brain really turns and it becomes the fight of her life when the IA investigation begins. She comes in guns blazing, ready to take it on, only to find out that none of her cases are up for scrutiny. I think that throws her off. I think that she would have preferred that they were. But to find out that some of Gil’s cases were, I think, that’s it. Then she’s like a lion in the Sahara with cubs and everybody better just look out. That’s also part of Maxine’s motivation in letting them do this investigation. She doesn’t want to lose the accreditation that her lab has and the respect. So, what’s it like working with her and the new team? It is so fun; they are so cool. I know that’s easy to say. I find their work electric and mesmerizing to watch. But honest to God, as people, they’re really fun, they’re obviously consummate professionals, and they’re all coming from other really amazing projects. I was a huge fan of Paula, so I was a little nervous to work with her at first. She’s so exciting to watch. And they really loaded her up. She’s all of a sudden this genetics expert, and that is not easy. I got to sit back while she did two solid pages of genetics dialogue and had to do all the science at the same time. And she just did it as eloquently as if she was doing a Broadway musical, which is a lot of her background. Technology has advanced so much since the show went off the air, it has to be like a brand-new learning experience for you. Even for us, yeah. At first, I think it was nice to sit back and just watch really smart people learn how to do something that is more complicated as actors than you think it’s going to be. You’re like, “No really, the magnifying glass is the most important thing in this scene.” So, at first it was fun and games, and I very quietly, very respectfully watched. And then I started getting handed some of the stuff to do and I was like, “Oh, no!” It wasn’t as fun anymore. But it’s really fun to learn. I think science is so cool. In 2000, science was not trending, and one of the great things that came out of these procedurals is that science became interesting to people, and a lot of kids got reinvigorated about science. I think it’s sad to say that science is in even worse shape right now. It’s like you might as well just be talking about a subjective thing. I really hope that the show can get people excited again about science, and that people will understand that it’s a real thing. What’s so amazing about it is that you actually can find the truth through science. That’s a story worth telling right there. You mentioned that you and Billy spoke before agreeing to do the show and you said, “Let’s do it.” But when you got back together was there an immediate reconnection or did you have to reestablish one? Originally, I’d heard from Jerry Bruckheimer Television in like November of 2019, and the goal was to start the show in April of 2020. Obviously, the universe had other plans for all of us and we weren’t able to shoot that year. But because of that, because we were amping up to shoot, we really got to talk a lot about the characters. We didn’t see each other physically but we were on the phone, and we were Zooming. We really got to reconnect well before we started shooting. It kept getting pushed. It was going to be April, and then it was going to be July, and then it was going to be November. And then it was like, “Oh, the vaccines are coming.” So, that was great that we got to do a lot of that before. It was amazing, still, to actually see him in person. We didn’t see each other in person until we started shooting. Obviously, they were discouraging people from getting together in person. But yeah, the moment I saw him I was like, “OK.” It’s like any old friend or family member where it just all of a sudden was like I’d seen him yesterday. I hope we get to work together for another 20 years. It’s really exciting to work with William Petersen. He has incredible ideas and I just love what he brings to the character. So that means all roads lead to Grissom, right? He’s the talk of the show. That said, would you be up for a second season? Initially this was supposed to be a special for the anniversary, but now it looks like it’s going to be an ongoing series. Yeah, the writers had a lot of time on their hands and the story evolved a bit from what we initially thought it was going to be. Honestly, I think a lot of that’s going to be up to the fans and to audiences. If there’s an audience for it, if viewers respond to the show, then I know that [showrunner] Jason Tracey’s got a million amazing stories that he can’t wait to tell. Definitely, the answer is, let’s wait and see what evolves. Here’s a silly question. I’m looking at the hotel where Gil and Sara are staying, and it’s expensive. That room has to be more than $500 a night. CSI jobs don’t pay that well, so I’m thinking that Catherine invested in the lab, is she also comping them with the hotel room? Oh, yeah. Listen, I think Sara’s really enjoying it. Sara’s been on the boat and she’s a girl’s girl, right? She rolls up her sleeves, she likes getting dirty, but I think that after being on a boat with Gil, and it’s not a glamorous boat, you’ve seen the boat—we like to think that maybe the boat got a little bigger and a little fancier than the one we sailed off on—but I think Sara really enjoys her time at the five-star Las Vegas hotel. And yes, my understanding was that Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) was paying for Brass’s (Paul Guilfoyle) room and Sara and Gil’s room. It was fun, too, because it is not what you would expect for Sara and Grissom. It was nice to see them like at home, and yet completely out of context. CSI: Vegas airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Next, CSI Is Back! Here’s What We Know About CSI: Vegas
