STOPWATCH NEW RECRUIT Life of Riley

CSI’S NEWEST CAST MEMBER, , OPENS UP ON HER MULTIFACETED ACTING CAREER

When CSI premiered nearly nine years ago, di erent lives and charac- Lauren Lee Smith was already a teenage success ters. I’m pretty sure that in her Canadian homeland. “I had done it kind of my upbringing has some- backwards,” Smith says. Indeed, she spent part of thing to do with the fact her youth in the television mecca of L.A., model- that I am an actress. I get ing and taking small parts at a local Shakespearean bored very easily. theater. She then went back to at age 18 to begin an acting career in earnest. W!: How would Soon, Smith landed indie fi lm roles and increas- you describe your CSI ingly high-profi le parts on TV, from her fi rst job on character Riley? MTV’s drama 2gether to lead roles in CBS’ miniseries LLS: Riley loves her job. Christy and the syndicated sci-fi show Mutant X. It’s her passion 100 percent, Smith later appeared on the popular Canadian but at the same time, she’s TV procedural Intelligence as a Russian stripper also one of those work- spying for the FBI. But it was for her role as Lara hard, play-hard types. Perkins on Showtime’s series for She came into the group which Smith was best known—that is, until this during a time when they Lauren Lee Smith past fall when she debuted as forensic investiga- were dealing with War- joins the cast of CSI. tor Riley Adams. Watch! caught up with the busy rick having been shot and young actress on the CSI set, and asked what it Sara leaving. They were was like to return to L.A. to become the new face understa ed and in need of a new CSI right away, CSI AIRS THURSDAYS on such an iconic series. so there was not a lot of formality. She had to jump AT 9 P.M. ET/PT ON CBS. in. No one really knows that much about her, and Watch!: It’s ironic that you’d spent so much time she doesn’t really know that much about anyone. in Hollywood as a kid, but yet moved to Canada to But she likes messing with them, with her sarcastic break into the business. What were you doing living sense of humor that the other CSIs are maybe a in the states all that time? little wary of. Lauren Lee Smith: My parents were—I guess you could say “hippies.” Their whole philosophy W!: What parts of her are like you? was that a proper education includes meeting dif- LLS: I like to think I am sarcastic. I defi nitely ferent people and seeing the world. And so from have a strong sense of playfulness. I tend to look the time I was 3, we lived in Costa Rica and France at things and not take them too seriously. Maybe and all over the United States and Canada. It was even at times when I should take them a little bit an interesting upbringing. more seriously. Smith: Sonja Flemming

W!: Let’s recap: You’ve played a mutant, a W!: Do we think that Riley might be secretly chef, a Russian stripper spy and a schoolteacher … Canadian? LLS: [laughs] I like to mix it up. The whole LLS: [laughs] She’s not. She’s from St. Louis appeal of what I do is getting to delve into these so I have to drop all my “oots” and “aboots.” Our

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FdCW0209_20-21_StopWatch_CSI.indd 20 12/16/08 9:00:58 AM wonderful script supervisor has to remind me at least once an episode.

W!: The CSI writers use so much forensic research and have a technical advisor on sta . As an actor, what home- work did you do before taking the role? LLS: I actually had the “pleasure” of spending a couple of weeks at the L.A. County Morgue prior to CSI for a fi lm called Pathology. It was still fresh in my memory, so I was able to forgo [doing that again]. But CSI fl ew me to Las Vegas, and I got to do a ride-along with actual CSIs. They took me to the crime lab, and I got to see it all fi rsthand. That was defi nitely very eye-opening.

W!: One of the things your fans on the Internet note most is how di erent you’ve looked from role to role. Are you ready for people to start recognizing you as Riley? LLS: For every project I do, I try to change the way I look as much as pos- sible. I’m surprised that I actually have hair on my head right now, because it’s been every color of the rainbow. One of my favorite things I hear from someone is, “That was you?” But we’ll see. I keep hearing that this little show CSI might change all that. — Jim Colucci OUR FAVORITE HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER QUOTES

‘‘You dumped a porn star? Friendship BARNEY STINSON DELIVERS ‘‘Did you sleep with her over. FRIENDSHIP OVER.’’ SOME OF TV’S BEST LINES sister? Sleep with her on the hit CBS comedy How I mom? I’m losing interest ‘‘ ere are only two in your story.’’ Met Your Mother, a show that reasons to date a girl somehow manages to combine you’ve already dated. fi nding true love and running Breast. Implants.’’ Giving advice on break- ing up with a woman: “Six like hell from it. With a pen- ‘‘Meet me at words: ‘You look fat chant for suits and naughty the bar in in those jeans’ and quips, the commitment-phobic 15 minutes— you’re free to go.’’ Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and suit up!’’ loves the ladies, but only one night at a time. We rounded up ‘‘Tonight, we are going to “It’s going to be have one last awesome a few of our favorite one-liners LEGEND ... wait night together as bros. for it ... and I hope by “The Barnacle.” It’s a bro-ing away party. you’re not lactose A special bro-ccasion. intolerant because the sec- A bro-choice rally. Bro ond part is ... DAIRY.” Harris: Monty Brinton Harris: Monty time at the Apollo!’’

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