JM
AO: We have to ask about Criminal Minds – you’re
amazing as David Rossi. How did your role in the
show come about? What is the most rewarding part
of being in the series? AO: Your company is involved in the production of Holly-
wood Weapons, and you described it as “Mythbusters on
steroids.” What are some of the most memorable mo-
ments you can recall from the show?
JM: One of the actors left the show in the third season,
and I came in as the character of David Rossi. David
Rossi was written in as a retired founder of the unit and
basically got a little bored with his life as an author. He
wanted to get back in the action, and he had a hidden
agenda with a past case he still wanted to solve. Ob-
viously, now in my 11th year, David Rossi seems to like
where he is and is still doing the job. The most reward-
ing part of being in the series is that we portray real
organizations. I’ve been to Quantico numerous times
and I’ve met the real profilers, supervisors, and special
agents. The behavior analysis unit is a real part of the
FBI. So, it’s been very rewarding to be able to portray
someone in a group of people who I think do a very
heroic job for our country. I’m honored to represent
them on television. JM: There’s been so many. I think what’s been great about
the show is the ability to add humor to stuff that people are
going to find fascinating and interesting anyway. I mean,
since we were little kids, when we would go to the movies,
one of the things most exciting about movies is to be able
to see something and say, “Wow! How did they do that?!
Could that really happen?” So, besides duplicating the inci-
dents or stunts, or whatever it is – gunfire, explosions, etc.
– besides doing that, I think it’s those moments that we’re
able to add some visual or dialogue or humor that adds
some dimension to it. There’s everything from the Star Trek
episodes, to the episodes that were about Rambo, to some
of the western ones. That’s the formula for any successful
show – when you have a combination of things that edu-
cate you, make you laugh, and make you think. I think the
show does all of that.