by Ernio Hernandez

Tony Award winner Liev Schreiber will join the cast of CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" Jan. 18.

The upcoming Talk Radio and recent Glengarry Glen Ross star will first appear in the series an episode titled "Sweet Jane."

Playing the recurring role of Michael Keppler, Schreiber's character is described as "a seasoned CSI who has established a strong reputation in various police departments across the country before joining the veteran team at the Las Vegas Crime Lab."

"Catherine and the rest of the CSI team find it challenging to get a good read on their new member as he joins them in tracking a recently active serial killer who has been killing since the 1970s," reads a CBS episode description. Fellow stage vets Ned Beatty (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) and Chris Bauer (A Streetcar Named Desire, Defiance) will guest star.

Schreiber previously stated, "After meeting the people who run 'CSI,' it immediately becomes apparent why it has consistently been one of the top shows on television. I am a fan, how could I say no?"

The actor will still star in the upcoming Broadway staging of Eric Bogosian's Talk Radio, which begins previews Feb. 9. Schreiber earned his Tony Award for his turn in Glengarry Glen Ross. His previous work on television has included the HBO film "Lackawanna Blues" as well as the made-for-television movies "RKO 281" and "Spinning Boris."

Schreiber followed his 2003 turn in Henry V for The Public Theater's "Shakespeare in the Park" series with this past summer's staging of Macbeth. Other credits include Harold Pinter's Betrayal, Neil LaBute's The Mercy Seat and Othello. In film, he has been seen in the "Scream" trilogy, "Kate and Leopold," "Ransom" and "The Manchurian Candidate" and made his directorial debut last year with "Everything Is Illuminated" — which he also adapted.

"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" — which airs Thursdays at 9 PM (ET) — follows a team of Las Vegas-based forensic investigators who solve crimes by examining the evidence. The cast features William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Gary Dourdan, George Eads, Paul Guilfoyle, Jorja Fox, Eric Szmanda and Robert David Hall. Schreiber's appearance coincides with a two-episode leave for Petersen. Following its 2000 debut, CBS has already created two spin-offs "CSI: Miami" and "CSI: NY."

LIEV Schreiber is always a wreck on the first date. "I'm really no good without a script, and I get incredibly nervous. I get very red, and I sweat profusely," he tells next month's Elle. The star of "The Painted Veil" also says he's misunderstood: "I come off as psychotic . . . I'm misrepresented as a scary person. I'm not. It's all about my size and my eyebrows." Despite his insecurities, Schreiber still makes out OK, even enjoying sex in public places: "I once had a very fun Sunday on the Staten Island Ferry."

It's the sort of mystery that would have even Gil Grissom scratching his head. The lead actor in one of the most popular shows on television disappears mid-season and is willingly replaced by a Tony-winning hotshot who supposedly "doesn't do TV>"

Care to give an explanation, huh?

"Would you believe it just sounded like a neat idea?" Liev Schreiber says, though he knows he has to do better than that.

After All, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is among the longest-running, most obsessed-over prime-time dramas going, largely because of its beloved investigator-in-chief, played by William Petersen. You don't just do away with Grissom without raising a few million eyebrows.

Call it a case of success run amok. After more than 100 episodes, Petersen has admitted he needs a break -- which he's taking so he can appear in a play in Rhode Island (he'll return to CSI in February). As exec producer Carol Mendelsohn says, "Nobody expected the show to run as long as it has." And while Petersen's character is "on sabbatical" from the lab (Grissom will be teaching at Williams College while he sorts out his own job frustrations), a seasoned CSI from Baltimore named Mike Keppler will fill in.

The stand-in role, which kicks off this week, makes the television series debut for Schreiber, who's best known for distinguished performances on Broadway ("Glengarry Glen Ross") and in films ("The Manchurian Candidate"). Lately, he's also known as the boyfriend (rumor says fiancé) of gorgeous Aussie actress Naomi Watts -- but let's leave that to the tabloids.

So why CSI? "I've always been scared of TV," Screiber says, and for reasons similar to the ones Petersen has cited. The week-in-week-out schedule can be a grind and actors are sometimes pigeonholed by trademark roles. But after a meeting last summer with Mendelsohn, Schreiber was hooked. "The show is so cool and there's so many places to take these characters," he says. "You've got death, mysteries and all that creepy stuff. What's not to like?"

The gig, which will run for at least three episodes, has been a humbling one for Schreiber. "You learn quickly that the real stars of this show are the dead bodies and the science," he says. "The props are way more important than you."

And if nothing else, he's getting a crash course in ickiness. "There's an episode coming up where a guy's bones and veins were stolen by a company that resells body parts," he says. "I have to reach into a cadaver's leg and pull out an umbrella and some PVC pipe some crazy old mortician used to replace the femur. I assure you, no amount of actorly training can prepare you for situations like that."

Perhaps, but we're predicting a first-rate actor like Schreiber will start pulling out Emmys if he sticks around TV.

LOS ANGELES - Liev Schreiber is a smart and articulate actor, but there's another very good reason to listen to the man.

Whether he's discussing his guest role on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and the art of donning latex gloves or his upcoming Broadway project "Talk Radio," Schreiber's silken voice is a reminder that Brits don't have a corner on glorious pipes.

Neither does the stage or the big screen. While Schreiber is a theater star - he was deemed the "foremost Shakespearean actor of his generation in America" in a New York Times review last year - and busy with films, TV has managed to snare a bit of his talent.

Schreiber appeared in the noteworthy 1999 HBO movie "RKO 281," about Orson Welles' struggle to make "Citizen Kane," and has narrated documentaries ranging from sports ("Babe Ruth") to science ("Nova" programs).

His four-episode arc as a forensics investigator on "CSI" (beginning Thursday, 9 p.m. EST, CBS) is an unusual commitment for the actor - who insists his lack of series credits shouldn't be confused with cultural snobbery.

"I love playing cops and robbers. I wouldn't be an actor if I ever lost that," Schreiber said.

"I've never done (a series) before not because of qualms about TV but because of the schedule. I've always been somebody who likes switching it up, and from pretty early on in my career I was lucky enough to do that."

His resume is testimony to that eclecticism, with Mamet, Pinter and, of course, Shakespeare plays sharing space with the "Scream" films in which he played the ongoing, ill-fated character Cotton Weary.

His "CSI" stint coincides with the absence of star William Petersen, who took a theater break of his own to perform on stage in Providence, R.I.

A Rhode Island photo book (Petersen's gift to Schreiber), a laptop computer and a pack of cigarettes were the only items on display in Schreiber's studio trailer during a lunch-break interview with The Associated Press.

"I was kind of terrified at the speed at which they work in TV," he said. "They're basically producing an hour-long feature film, in terms of production quality, once a week. They do in effectively eight days what the average film company does in two months."

"When I got into it I found the pace of it really works for the actors: you just keep going. You don't get a lot of takes but you work all the time, so it's easier to stay focused and not get distracted. I like it," he said.

So he proved up to the challenge? "We'll see," he said, smiling. "But I certainly enjoyed the tempo."

He's a risk-taker but one who admits needing a nudge at times. When he was approached for the part of Welles in "RKO 281," Schreiber hesitated at playing the monumental Hollywood figure and contacted, among others, director and Welles friend Peter Bogdanovich.

"He made the extremely inspiring comment of, `You know, Liev, at the end of the day if you don't do it, some other schmuck will.' Good advice: Take the job and be grateful," Schreiber recalled.

"CSI" executive producer Carol Mendelsohn said it took "quite a courtship" to persuade Schreiber to fit the part of Michael Keppler, an East Coast investigator trying to make a new start in Las Vegas, into his schedule.

"He and I started a dialogue that lasted many, many months. I think he was patient with me and amused I didn't give up," she said. She found it more than worth the effort to bring the actor's intelligence and sex appeal to "CSI."

"Having Liev here, given his whole pedigree and background, you're on your best behavior and bring your A-plus game. It was exhilarating and thrilling" for the cast and crew, she said.

Schreiber faced an unexpected but sticky challenge involving a mundane "CSI" prop.

"Try getting latex gloves on and off in under 70 seconds," he said. "I'm supposed to look like I've been doing it for years. So I would go home and practice."

Did he get any faux-investigator tips from his new "CSI" colleagues? "Well, George Eads taught me how to deal with the gloves and I'm eternally grateful to him. He said, `If you don't have to take them on or off, don't.'"

Reality shows detailing the work of forensic detectives hold a fascination for Schreiber, who found them echoed in the "CSI" format.

"Initially I thought, `Oh, the emotional life of the character and the plot elements were really going to dominate.' But I figured out very quickly that, unlike some of the feature work or stage work that I've done, what the audience is really looking for is the next clue, because they're solving along with you."

Schreiber, 39, born in San Francisco but a longtime New Yorker, says he's rarely recognized by the public - despite his roughly 6-foot-3 height - and appreciates the relative anonymity. He's certainly racked up enough credits to warrant autograph hounds, however.

His films include "A Painted Veil," in which he plays opposite real-life girlfriend Naomi Watts; "The Omen," "The Manchurian Candidate," "Kate & Leopold" and a slew of indie productions. He debuted as a director with "Everything is Illuminated" in 2005, from his adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer's novel.

The Yale School of Drama graduate won a Tony Award in 2005 for the revival of Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross." His next project takes him back to New York for a revival of Eric Bogosian's "Talk Radio," which he said represents "a return to a style of aggressive work that I really loved when I was younger and would like to take a shot at."

"I saw Eric do the original production and was blown off my feet by it. I loved him and loved the play," said Schreiber. "It's a powerful message at a time when I think people don't know how to respond to media anymore."

He's also working on a screenplay that draws parallels between the lives of two U.S. and Iraqi youths.

Would he ever consider a full-time TV gig?

"I don't want to make anything my full-time gig. But I'd sure do this again."

Liev appeared as a guest on CBS's The Early Show with Julie Chen on Thursday, January 18, 2007.

(CBS) Tony Award-winner Liev Schreiber is a familiar face on screen and on stage, but tonight will make his debut on a television series in a recurring role in "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

Schreiber plays Michael Keppler, an East Coast crime scene investigator who spent much of his career in Baltimore, Md. He was assigned to replace Grissom, played by William Petersen, during Grissom's teaching sabbatical. Keppler is a seasoned investigator who has established a strong reputation, but some mystery surrounds the "new guy."

"I like him a lot; I love him," Schreiber told The Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen. "He's an East Coast cop — East Coast CSI who comes to Las Vegas with a considerable amount of baggage looking to make a new start and the question is, over this period of time with the Las Vegas lab, is he going to be able to get out (from) underneath all that baggage? And that's what we work out in the show."

Petersen took a break from "CSI" in November and December while he starred in a play called "Dublin Carol," a twist on Dickens' "Christmas Carol" in Providence, R.I. The producers of "CSI" had their eye on Schreiber, but considered him a long shot. Only when they promised to create a good role for him did he agree to join the show.

"At first I was terrified. I hadn't done any television, not because I was against television, but mostly I was afraid of the contracts," Schreiber said. "I have kind of a two-month attention span and I figured if I get locked into one of those, I would be dead. But it's been one of the best shows on television for about five years now. And I figure when those people at that level are asking you to do something, you to have (to) take it seriously."

Along with his recurring role on "CSI," Schreiber is starring opposite Ed Norton and girlfriend Naomi Watts in "The Painted Veil." He just finished production on Mike Newell's "Love in the Time of Cholera," in which he plays the role of Lotario Thurgot, alongside Benjamin Bratt and Javier Bardem, and he's currently rehearsing in preparation for his return to Broadway to star in "Talk Radio," scheduled to open in February.

With all his experience, Schreiber said he was blown away by the pace at which the "CSI" crew worked. Schreiber said it is as if they make half a feature film in a week when it takes movie production crews three months to make a film.

"It's incredibly intimidating but what's amazing (is) the speed with which they work," he said. "The production quality is incredible … The big element is speed, which turns out is something I enjoy. With most films, you know as an actor, you spend a lot of time sitting on your butt, but not here."

The new technical language Schreiber had to adopt also posed a new challenge for him. Accuracy is one of the cornerstones of the show and Schreiber said he quickly realized that the most important thing was the information.

"What's cool about the show and what the audience likes is they are solving the crimes along with you," he said. "For me as a fan, one of the things I love is all the forensic science so the props and all of these machines and all of this stuff you have to learn to use while doing the show is essential."

Liev Conquers All

Earth's most versatile thespian comes out of his shell long enough to extol the virtues of tough girls and sex at sea-and reveals why he's not as scary as you think.

Actors are usually forced to choose between art and commerce: Once you cash the fat paycheck for the mindless dasher flick, you might as well forgo the dream of strutting and fretting away your hours upon the New York stage as Macbeth. Apparently, someone forgot to tell Liev Schreiber, who, a bunch of years after taking a knife in his third Scream movie, did some cutlery plunging of his own as the Scot at the Public Theater last summer. Now the 39-year-old, who went from a childhood raised in a Lower East Side squat to being dubbed America's "foremost Shakespearean actor of his generation" by The New York Times, again brings blood to the masses as a forensic investigator on CSI. Highbrow fans may be more inclined to see The Painted Veil, in which the 63" Tony winner towers over real-life girlfriend Naomi Watts and Edward Norton, or his Broadway return in Eric Bogosian's Talk Radio. And on the off chance that he ever goes on the market again, we offer one piece of advice: Lock up your grandmothers!—ANDREW GOLDMAN

ELLE: Who was your first crush from pop culture?
LIEV SCHREIBER: Stockard Channing in Grease. I was always drawn to tough girls. I liked that domineering thing.
ELLE: How do you deal with heartbreak?
LS: I try to move on as quickly as possible. I've always hated pain, but I have this weird delayed effect. I'll get into a huge brawl three years later and not know why.
ELLE: What famous person do you most fear you resemble?
LS: A cross between Balthazar Getty and Alvin the chipmunk.
ELLE: What was the first moment you remember being sexually attracted to women?
LS: I was about 12, and I was in Connecticut, swimming with some woman who was holding an inner tube for me. She jumped out of the water and her top came down.
ELLE: You probably were able to learn how your equipment worked soon after that.
LS: Once you notice the rumbling, you tend to investigate.
ELLE: Ever harbor any unlikely crushes?
LS: Ruth Gordon. I remember finding Harold and Maude strangely erotic. I've always had an octogenarian fetish.
ELLE: To the point where you feel excited walking past assisted-living facilities?
LS: No, it's about circumstance. I find old women at weddings and funerals attractive; I have this weird mortality thing.
ELLE: So have you ever actually picked up an old lady?
LS: No, but when I first got out of Yale I was working at a bar, and I went home with a 40-year-old woman from Argentina-but I just didn't have the nerve to close.
ELLE: Presumably she had designs.
LS: Oh, absolutely! Had I said, "Can I go to the bathroom?" she probably would have had sex with me.
ELLE: Are there any unlikely places that make you amorous?
LS: Anywhere you're not supposed to is the place I want to.
ELLE: What's your proudest public sex achievement?
LS: I once had a very fun Sunday on the Staten Island ferry.
ELLE: What's your least favorite part of the dating ritual?
LS: Meeting. I'm really no good without a script, and I get incredibly nervous. I get very red, and I sweat profusely.
ELLE: Do you have difficulty approaching attractive strangers?
LS: Every girl I've gone out with has said something to me first.
ELLE: Have you ever worked with a man who has completely shamed your own abilities with women?
LS: Paul Newman. I worked with him on the movie Twilight. When Joanne [Woodward] came on set, he put his arm around my shoulder and said to me, "Will you look at the ass on her." That really struck me as an ideal relationship. I love the idea that a guy approaching 80 still loved his wife's ass.
ELLE: When your girlfriend is chatting with her friends about you, what do you think she complains about most?
LS: That I look like a marsupial. The other day we saw a woodchuck, and she said, "Look, honey, it's you!" I didn't have the heart to tell her that a woodchuck isn't a marsupial.
ELLE: What do women often misunderstand about you?
LS: My intent. For some reason, I come off as psychotic.
ELLE: What would make a woman suspect you're psychotic?
LS: Dilated pupils and silence. I'm misrepresented as a scary person. I'm not. It's all about my size and my eyebrows.
ELLE: You grew up without your dad. How do you think this has affected your relationships with women?
LS: I'm drawn to people who share that sense of loss. All actors are trying to repair damaged relationships. I think that might be why I've been drawn to other actors.
ELLE: You've said that you felt being Jewish was a cultural thing. In relationships, is there any trait that you regularly display that would be considered culturally Jewish?
LS: Complaining a lot.
ELLE: Do you have favorite things to complain about?
LS: My gastrointestinal problems.
ELLE: What's your most feminine trait?
LS: It's probably my career.
ELLE: What does that mean?
LS: Oh, come on! Everyone knows all actors are gay.
ELLE: Do you have any feminine physical features?
LS: I have small hands and small feet.
ELLE: So is it true what they say?
LS: Absolutely. ~