triangle man, triangle man

So, uh . . . there’s a story about me in today’s New York Times.
Oh my god. The New York Times. And it’s incredible.
In 1000 words John Schwartz captures and communicates who I am, what I am, where I am, and (most importantly) why I am. I always hope that reporters will understand me, but John grokked me.
I spoke with John for about 90 minutes last week, and the story he wrote is in today’s edition of the Times: A Computer Is Also a Screen, Wil Wheaton Discovers.
I was going to buy the reprint rights so I could put it up here, but the Times wants $1,000 from me for a year, and as much as I’d like to spare you all the annoying-but-free registration, I think that money would be better spent on some bills. The bugmenot plugin for Firefox calls . . . 🙂 Update: or you can use this NYT-approved blog-friendly link. Thanks to countless e-mailers and commenters who pointed it out, and to Aaron Swartz who wrote the oh-so-useful code.
The absolute best part, the part that made me scream out in joy and run laps around my living room is:

Mr. Wheaton said that on the “CSI” set, he had to manage a potential conflict between his new writerly self and the professional actor. “It was unbelievably difficult for me the first two days I was working on the show to be very present,” he said. “They’d say ‘Cut!’ and I’d say, ‘I can’t wait to write about this!'”
If he was distracted, it didn’t show, said Duane Clark, the director of the episode. Mr. Wheaton had originally tried out for a smaller role, a hotel clerk. But after seeing his audition tape, Carol Mendelsohn, one of the executive producers, suggested giving him the meatier role of Walter, even though the writers had drawn him as an older alcoholic. A younger drug addict, she said, might prove more menacing, more interesting.
At first, Mr. Clark said, the writers said, “Wil Wheaton, a crack addict – are you nuts?” But Mr. Clark said that Mr. Wheaton brought “a lot of scary volatility” to the role.
“He really dug his teeth into it,” Mr. Clark said, “and on his own came up with a backstory of who Walter was.”
“He really filled out what could have been a caricature. ” he said.

Oh.
My.
God.
When I read that the producer and director believed in me, and the writers took a chance on me . . . well, I’m speechless.
And if all this wasn’t enough, John helps me put some nails into that “former child actor” coffin:

To Mr. Wheaton, the experience on “CSI” is proof, if any is needed, that he’s still in the game. “When you say a ‘former child star,’ you may as well say ‘failed child star,’ ” he said. “The fact is, Jodie Foster is a former child star. Ron Howard is a former child star. I am a former child star. It doesn’t have to mean anything.”

I can’t wait to watch CSI tonight, and see how I did. I haven’t been this excited to see something I did since the first screening of Stand By Me.

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204 thoughts on “triangle man, triangle man”

  1. Your character had so much more energy than I expected a homeless guy to have. I guess that comes from the voices always keeping him awake and wired. Great job, I hope you get more screentime.

  2. Wil;
    The episode was great. The only thing I didn’t like was that I wanted to see MORE of the homeless guy! SIGH! 🙂 It was definitely a showstopping moment! I wouldn’t be surprised if they asked you back again!
    Wil rocks!
    Scott

  3. Wil;
    The episode was great. The only thing I didn’t like was that I wanted to see MORE of the homeless guy! SIGH! 🙂 It was definitely a showstopping moment! I wouldn’t be surprised if they asked you back again!
    Wil rocks!
    Scott

  6. hey Wil,
    Well, I had a show tonight myself, but I taped the ep and just finished it (first time, of course!) OMG! You were amazing! There really isn’t much else that I can add that hasn’t already been said by the rest of your amazingly awesome posse of monkeys… but who cares? You _are_ “da bomb”! Keep up the great work, both writing and acting!
    Ok, four posts in one day… back to lurking now…
    Terry (the handbell guy) 🙂

  7. Walter, you were awesome! I hope to see more of you on prime-time. Even my wife thought you did great. (Still trying to get her to read JAG though.)
    Thanks Wal… er… Will.
    -Dan
    Vancouver, WA

  8. AAARRRRGGGHHH!!! Your episode was on tonight!? Will it rerun? I was so psyched to come to WWDN tonight, too, because I got to work on CSI today. Granted, it was as an extra (getting those vouchers, man… tough), but all day I was going around saying, “you know, Wil Wheaton did an episode of CSI a couple weeks back. He wrote about it in his blog.”
    Oh, well. Congrats on the Times article. You may be surprised, but a lot of us have known for a while (I’ll admit, I had to rediscover it) how talented you are. Even rewatching old TNG episodes with my neophyte roommate, I’m seeing some great acting in young you, dude.

  9. Wow I just have to say you did a fantastic job
    on CSI, the intensity and performance you put into Walter was just a pleasure to watch.
    What else needs be said? You really nailed it. A triumphant outing for TV’s Wil Wheaton, now I can’t wait to read what Author Wil Wheaton has to say on the subject.
    Thanks for bringing Walter to life for us fans Wil.

  10. Holy sh*t! Ooh, wait… getting ahead of myself:
    CSI is a great show that I DON’T watch. I’ve seen a few episodes… good. But I don’t seek it out. Of course, I did for your performance, Wil. Got a big kick outta seeing your name in the opening credits! [rawk!]
    But then, as the episode progressed… then Walter’s 1st seen… DAMN! You NAILED it! Unrecognizable and friggin’ intense. “POWERHOUSE” came to mind when thinking of what I thought of your performance. Then, in the later seen, I was further impressed with how well you portrayed this homeless, drug addict that was ‘out of place’, so to speak, in the real world.
    Bravo, Wil. Bravo. [standing ovation for ya.]

  11. Awesome job Wil. I almost missed it, because here it comes on at 8pm and I was on the computer, but fate made me look at the clock and I didn’t miss it,except for the first 5 minutes, which to me weren’t as important then seeing Wil Wheaton! It would be cool if they brought Walter back on for a couple more episodes. I like the show alot and I watch it and the other one. You totally brought Walter alive and you were very convincing too. Kinda scared me for a moment and then I’m like “wait that’s Wil!” Hee hee hee.
    Morgan

  12. doh… “1st seen”??? uh… meant “scene” o’course.
    Also, kudos to the CSI heads for seeing your talent on that audition tape and giving you the role better served to your abilities.

  13. Well, I skimmed the comments without reading them because I still haven’t seen the show yet. But Dad did remember to record it and you must have done a great job because I didn’t tell him who you were playing and right now he’s going back over the whole show trying to figure out who.
    Finally gave him the answer over MSN messenger a minute ago. Gave him a hint and he had his doubts, so I finally told him the characters name and sent a link to this post. I still don’t think he believes me. 😉
    GREAT JOB! I’m looking forward to watching it tonight.

  14. OK, the episode was pretty good. It was great to see Wil. I wish his part was a bit bigger. But, he did a GREAT job. So did Stephen Baldwin…the other top name on last nights CSI. Ironic, neither of them were the actual murders for their perspective cases. Wil…don’t take sweaters that are just lying around on park benches, they get you into trouble.

  15. Congrats on the Times article! Made sure to watch CSI lastnight usually do but at times I miss it doing other things. Wish your part had been bigger but you did a fantastic job. Was a shock to see the Baldwin in the episode as well. I have to agree my favorite lines from the show were:
    “Finders-keepers”
    “When did you find the sweater?”
    “Yesterday…A few days ago…I don’t know

  16. Oh I am so glad we recorded that last night. We had to leave town to run some errands and I have been out of touch with the internet this week due a busy schedule. I’d have been really upset if I had missed seeing that episode. I am so looking forward to sitting down and watching it with my husband tonight after the kids go to bed.
    Congratulations Wil, on a great experience and a wonderful review! I know you deserve the opportunity and the acclaim.

  17. “Finders Keepers” – the new meme 🙂
    Great work Wil.
    One question – the other role you originally tried out for – was it the creepy clerk of the “Four Aces”? If so, I’m glad you got Walter!

  19. I found this site and thread from the NY Times article yesterday morning. I read the article and became curious.
    I am a mild but life-long Star Trek fan and was curious about Wil’s web site. So I am totally new to WWdN.
    I enjoyed what I read yesterday, so I caught CSI last night. Great job! Now I am back today, … is this a trend?

  21. Been reading since way back –
    First comment.
    Had to come out of lurkdom to say you just rock!
    Congratulations Wil.
    May every casting agent take note and get you more screen time.

  22. *twitch*
    “Finders Keepers”
    he he he
    The NYTimes article was awesome, as was your performance. Nicely done, if waaayyyy too short. i’m hoping this opens many, many minds and doors in your career.
    btw: Stephen Baldwin phoned in his performance.

  23. One word: WOW!
    I’ve never watched CSI before, and probably won’t again unless it’s a rerun of this episode. You were spot-on with your characterization. I’ve seen ‘Walters’ in the parks in downtown DC that weren’t as scary as you were!
    Also, that is a nice article about you in NYT. I copied it to a word doc so I can send it to all my friends and family – they all think I’m a wack job for being a middle-aged woman who reads your site religiously. Matter of fact, someone I know actually started writing a short story about me… it’s called “Stalking Wil Wheaton.” He never finished it, sadly. The parts that I read were hilarious.
    Hope this parlays into more satisfying work for you, Wil.
    Congratulations!

  24. *waves the Wil flag*
    You did a great job. I’ve always said that based on your TNG performances, if I ever saw you, I’d have to fight the urge to run up & hug you. Now I’m gonna be conflicted: do I run up and hug “Wesley Crusher”, or do I run screaming from “Walter the Homeless Guy”? Hmm. I’d better keep away from you; my head may explode from such a decision.
    Then again, I intend to recieve “Just a Geek” for my birthday tomorrow–maybe after that, if I see you, I’ll just grab my husband’s arm and yell “HOLY CRAP, that’s Wil Wheaton!” ^_^
    I’m a fan of CSI, and I have to say, you’re one of the best suspects they’ve ever had. Walter REALLY made me suspicious for a while. Wonderful, VERY convincing performance.

  26. Hmm, tried to post this once and it didn’t take. Here’s try #2:
    Damn, Wikipedia is fast! Check out this morning’s bio on Wil Wheaton: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wil_Wheaton
    Nice job on CSI, Wil! We all hope this leads to more acting work for you. I know you are enjoying writing, which is great, but you obviously also love the acting, so I want you to be able to do both.
    -ross

  27. Wil;
    The episode was great. The only thing I didn’t like was that I wanted to see MORE of the homeless guy! SIGH! 🙂 It was definitely a showstopping moment! I wouldn’t be surprised if they asked you back again!
    Wil rocks!
    Scott

  28. Wil;
    The episode was great. The only thing I didn’t like was that I wanted to see MORE of the homeless guy! SIGH! 🙂 It was definitely a showstopping moment! I wouldn’t be surprised if they asked you back again!
    Wil rocks!
    Scott

  29. Wil;
    The episode was great. The only thing I didn’t like was that I wanted to see MORE of the homeless guy! SIGH! 🙂 It was definitely a showstopping moment! I wouldn’t be surprised if they asked you back again!
    Wil rocks!
    Scott

  33. Hey Wil,
    First-time commentor, long-time reader. I watched CSI this morning–great job! I was thrilled to finally get to see you in something recent, as I live too far away to catch any of your live shows.
    I can’t believe no one else commented on the familiar story-line, though. Was it intentionally based on the real-life case of Stephanie and Michael Crowe? It happened in San Diego in 1998, I think. You can check out some of the details here:
    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/14/48hours/main649381.shtml
    Again, great job, and I hope to see you in many more projects soon!!
    pystol

  34. Wil,
    Ever since you told us about your CSI performance, I have TiVo’d it to get a flavor of the show. I do not normally watch network TV — a 60 min show has about 22 minutes of relevent content and 48 minutes of ‘bye me’ guff that is difficult to sit thru. One reader above noted that they missed the first 5 minutes of the show. I was timing it and there were commercials for the first 6 minutes of the show — they didn’t miss a thing.
    During this episode there were many Wheaton-esque subtle vibrations – BRAT on the window, two boys, one is a corpse, Da Bomb, Last of the Geeks, etc.

  37. I don’t watch CSI except occasionally in reruns on USA. I didn’t even know what night and time it was on until yesterday. But I got home 10 minutes into the show, found it, and was very happy that I hadn’t missed your part. (I also have never watched poker on TV before, but I caught one of your games flipping through channels and watched the whole thing. Nice monkey.)
    You have a great voice. I think I’m scared that I just said that about a crackhead junkie homeless guy, but hey, sign of a good actor to make me think that. 😉
    Most excellent job. Here’s hoping you get more jobs so we can see more of your talents!

  38. Wil,
    I saw CSI last night and you did a great job. You were really creepy and very believable as Walter.
    Keep up the good work 🙂

  39. nicely played. of course, now people are going to be giving you blue sweaters at cons and shit. here’s to them not being stained with food coloring first.

  40. Hello from Texas!
    I just found this site through a friends livejournal, and thought I would check it out.
    I have always liked your work so much, and have a real life family friend who worked with you (Tom Richmond). I am excited about the journal archives. I have, thus far, only read the intro and pge one.
    Congrats~
    Angela

  41. When I was a tween girl, you were one of my first huge crushes. I was so excited for your portrayal of Walter last night, making my boyfriend laugh at how geeked out and girly I got when you finally came into the story line.
    You did a fabulous job, and as an artist, I enjoyed bringing together your entries on character research with the finished product. I particulary enjoyed your vocal work and the controlled freneticism during the interrogation scene.
    When the show ended, I looked to my boyfriend and said “I was hoping for more Wheaton. Damn.”
    Well, I’m psyched to see more in the coming future. Bravo!!
    **mariposanegra**

  42. Some one has to say it, so I’ll step up to the plate. Is this a cae of the Emperor’s new clothes going on here?
    I’m sorry, but that was not worthy of all the praise I see here. Now through reading Wil’s blog I’ve come to respect him as a father, husband, and writer – but what I saw last night was okay.
    My thoughts are that part was written to be bigger than it was. During editing it was knocked down a bit as “Walter” just didn’t work as they had planned. I hope I’m wrong but I’m thinking they weren’t all that impressed.
    That said, I don’t think it matters because I really do think that Wil’s future lies on a different course than acting. He has many more things he’s better at from my point of view.

  43. WHEATON IS LEET!
    Wow, I’ve never watched CSI before and I still think it’s a ludicrous show. BUT, I watched last night for a glimpse of Wil and he did not disappoint!
    I may never watch CSI again, but at least I saw the one episode with a stellar guest actor. Here’s to persistence and talent.
    Rad job, Wil-dog!
    Peace,
    JR

  44. Wow Wil. That was quite the creepy roll. But you pulled it off flawlessly. That was an awsom CSI Ep too. Too bad you didn’t have a bigger part though, but instead they used up that time on the bonehead Baldwin brother.
    Great job Wil, hope to see more of you on the TV Screen, or even better on the big screen!

  45. I love the scene where you’re bashing in the skull of the kid with a pipe! Possibly your most un-Wesley role since the great barfatorium in Stand By Me!
    Keep auditioning you’ve made me a believer even though you are THE **BOY???!*

  46. Hey! When I sat down to watch CSI last night, I saw your name on the opening credits. I did not realize that was you as Walter until you were in the interrogation room. Good job, man! Super convincing, well done. I came to check out your site so I could let you know I dug your performance; I will definitely be back. Cool all around.

  47. The perks of living where I do: I got to see it on a Sacramento station at 8 p.m., and then a San Francisco station again at 9 p.m. Why watch it twice, back to back? ‘Cause the first time I was able to just watch it, get sucked into the story, and have a few “you go, Wil!” moments when Walter was on the screen… The 2nd time, I sat up and watched the process…all those ticks and nuances that couldn’t have been written into the character. It amazes me how much thought went into a few-minute appearance… something that, perhaps, the guy who played the desk clerk should learn (sorry, but he looked like he was scared to be there, and was reading his lines…)

  48. You magnificent bastard! Why not steal the whole show, huh? Because of you, I had to endure an entire night of wondering, “What the @#$% happened to Walter!?!?”
    You made me care, and like the Giant in that craptastic 70’s PSA, I had built my wall to keep people and feelings out!
    Bravo.
    Bra-“the @#$%”-vo

  49. Wil,
    You did a great job! I don’t normally watch CSI. It is a good show, but I just don’t watch. Last night I tuned in just to see how you did. What a night it was last night….Wil Wheaton and a new Star Wars trailer! Just wanted to say you made the posse proud last night. Kudos to you Wil! Keep up the good work!

  50. Wil,
    The article in the NY Times was lovely and I’m happy to see that you are back in the public eye–and enjoying it!
    I watch all of the CSI shows on a regular basis–but, last night I was hopping up and down waiting for you to come on screen. The role may not have been large, but you did a wonderful job. I especially like the voice that you chose to use.
    It’s lovely to see your face on screen again.
    Congratulations!

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