Jorja Fox plays forensic scientist Sara Sidle in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, a crime drama series that has more than 60 million viewers worldwide. Here, she tells TV Choice how it feels to have such an amazing fan base. But she also reflects on her other roles in ER and The West Wing, and talks about her work as a conservationist campaigner

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is currently in its 13th season. So how have fans reacted to events like Ted Danson joining the cast

The biggest compliment is that last year we were the number one show in the world again. So I have to say a big thank you to all our international fans. Our ratings have also been going up this year in America. It’s really rare for ratings to dip, then for them to go back up. Especially after all this time. Honestly, every week we go to bed wondering how we can keep on entertaining people and keep people watching.

Pirates Of The Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer is a co-creator of the show. Is he still heavily involved in its development?

Yes, I think he’s got a creative force in all the projects he’s a part of. We were the first TV show that his company had produced. And it’s hard to believe that, after 13 years, we have much of the original creative team still on board.

Your big break came in ER in the mid-Nineties. What was it like landing the role of Dr Maggie Doyle?

For me, it was the first time that people were really going to see my work. So I was scared senseless. On the night I got the job, I honestly almost drove to Mexico, because I was so terrified. I nearly told them I didn’t want to do it. But it was very thrilling for me to work with people who were so talented. And a great honour.

And then you joined The West Wing …

The West Wing was one of the most special moments in my life. I never thought that someone like myself would get to be part of the political process. It was an election year in 2000 in the States, so I found myself in places in Washington DC, and I never imagined that would happen.

Have you also produced a documentary about the plight of elephants in Thailand?

Yes, it’s called How I Became An Elephant, and it’s about a 14 year-old-girl who travels from California to Thailand to see an elephant. It’s a conservation film, and a film about habitat. I teamed up with a film-maker here in the US who’d been living in Thailand since 2004. It’s in film festivals right now. We’re looking at a couple of companies [for distribution] but you can always look for the movie. We have a website called howibecameanelephant.com ” you can find out where it’s showing there.

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