Murciano Likes To Make A Difference

The CBS drama "Without a Trace" follows an elite FBI squad as it tries to find missing people. One of the stars of the hit show is Enrique Murciano, who plays agent Danny Taylor, a character whose sensitivity often gets covered up by his street smarts.

This week the team attempts to locate a 15-year-old Olympic figure-skating hopeful who has vanished. Visiting The Early Show Tuesday morning, Murciano said the series, which averages nearly 19 million viewers weekly, has hit a chord.

"I think people love to take a proactive role," he told co-anchor Hannah Storm. "They like to think. They like to solve puzzles. On our show week after week, we invite the viewer to essentially become the sixth member of the team. I think that's very exciting for people. I think also our show is very heartfelt. It's about reuniting families and people who love each other. People really respond to it."

The show also runs public service announcements about real-life cases of missing people. Earlier this month, one such announcement led to a happy reunion for a mother and her kidnapped baby. "When you're an actor and you get work, it's a blessing," Murciano said. "When you're an actor and you get work and you can really help find missing people and reunite families, it's almost a surreal experience, you know, to know that you're actually helping people out there."

There's already lots of buzz about the season finale, and Murciano confirmed that it's going to be a memorable show. "I can just tell you it's going to freak out a lot of viewers with what happens," he told Storm. "I think a lot of our viewers are going to have a hard time falling asleep that Thursday night."

Murciano is also in Andy Garcia's new movie, "The Lost City," which is about Cuba in the 1950s. Murciano, who is Cuban-American, said it was a chance to work with one of his heroes. "[Garcia] has always been sort of a beacon of integrity. He's a certain type of human being that I've learned a lot from, not only as an artist, but as a person. He's a great dad. He's a great man. It was a dream come true," Murciano said.

"To get the chance to tell the story of Cuba, historically, to tell it in an accurate way, it was great too. And making a movie about Cuba has taught me a lot about being an American," he added. "Everyone has come to this country for a better life, from somewhere, for a chance at freedom. That's what this movie is about, really; it's about the American dream."

"The Lost City" opens on April 28. And you can catch "Without a Trace" on Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.