The Man Behind C.S.I.

As the star of CBS television series "C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation," William Peterson is surrounded by creepy items as he leads a crack forensics team.

Each week, the story focuses on the evidence, leaving Peterson's character, "Gil Grissom," something of a mystery man.

The Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen visited the Los Angeles set to dig a little deeper and meet the man behind the dark murder investigations.

The forensics' office created for the show is a place where the cast study everything from bugs to blood to help solve crimes.

But little is known about the forensics because the evidence is the star of this show.

"We know who they are from how they deal with their work," Peterson explains.

What does a work environment surrounded by body parts, snakes and skeletons say about Grissom?

"Well, first of all, he's an entomologist. So, he's fascinated with bug life," says Peterson. "Probably most scientists are a little kinky … You have to be able to separate yourself from what's actually happening, and therein is a voyeurism to these C.S.I.'s."

Peterson is also one of "C.S.I's" producers, but he didn't plan a career in showbiz. Peterson attended Idaho State University on a football scholarship.
"Yeah, I was lucky to go to any school at all," says Peterson. "Because my grade-point average was so bad, they put me in the theater department. I was forced to take an acting class and I was terrified."

However, he went on to perform and he says he did fine.

"I fell in love with the gypsies that make theater and the storytellers," explains Peterson. "It became something that I could not live without."

Peterson has little time for theater these days due to a grueling shooting schedule. But he's thrilled that "C.S.I." has become a ratings blockbuster.

"I actually love the evidence gathering and the processing of it," says Peterson. "I think that's the best part of the show, too."

Peterson says the special effects of the show mirrors the truth.

Sometimes the cast can forget that dead corpses don't surround them. Peterson says the actors playing dead people looks extremely real.

"We forget sometimes that they're alive," says Peterson.

"C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation" airs on the CBS network at 9 p.m. ET/PT.