Like other actors on the “CSI” franchise, William Petersen (Gil Grissom) and Jorja Fox (Sara Sidle) feel fortunate to portray their respective characters and to be part of such an award-winning series.

Petersen, 54, reveals that science was something he was never really good at. But since landing the role of the forensic entomologist, he has developed a keen interest in the field and has seen some surprising changes in his personality.

“I was terrible in school at science,” he told WOWOW. “He was so different than me, and so it was interesting for me to be able to try and do something that I was not familiar with. Since then, I’ve become very attracted to science, so it was a good thing for me.”

“I don’t kill insects anymore,” he added. “I used to swat flies and my wife used to make me chase the spiders. I have a whole backyard full of spiders now, webs everywhere. They’re just crawling around the house.”

Moreover, he describes his character as someone “very in touch with his childhood,” which gives him a unique perspective on reality and what he does for a living.

“[H]is imagination and his creativity led him into science, so for him science is like playing childhood games and I think that that’s always a big part of how he views his work. For him, it’s all just wonder, you know, and he doesn’t allow himself to become too adult about it… [otherwise] it would be too difficult for him to do it because it’s all tragedy, and there’s so much violence and inequity.”

For Fox, 39, she says her character, as well as Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) are strong and professional women, which is one of the reasons why she feels lucky to portray the forensic scientist.

“They’re completely intellectual and at the same time they feel very real. They feel like real people to me. It feels like a person that somebody could actually be,” she said.

Meanwhile, people involved with “CSI” are still being tight-lipped about whether Fox’s character, Sara, will live or die. Season 7 has left viewers with Sara’s life hanging in the balance, trapped beneath a car somewhere in the desert. According to executive producer Naren Shankar, the upcoming season’s premiere episode “Dead Doll” will finally give a satisfying resolution to last season’s cliffhanger.

“Let’s just say fans will be very satisfied with how it turns out,” he said. “No loose ends will be left dangling at the end of the first episode.”

“CSI” returns on Thursday, September 27 on CBS.