Eddie Cahill & Carmine Giovinazzo: The Untold CSI:NY Stories & Gary Sinise's Legacy | AJ Buckley Show

AJ Buckley Show

AJ Buckley reunites with former CSI: NY co-stars Eddie Cahill and Carmine Giovinazzo for a nostalgic and heartfelt conversation on the AJ Buc

Key takeaways

• Eddie Cahill recounts a surreal audition experience for Sex and the City, where Sarah Jessica Parker personally left her number after seeing him perform off-Broadway.

Main topics

• Behind-the-scenes stories from CSI: NY
• Eddie Cahill's audition for Sex and the City

Notable quotes

"She saw the show and she left her number. What? Yeah, totally fucking nuts." – Eddie Cahill on Sarah Jessica Parker's post-it note.

Conclusion

The episode closes with heartfelt gratitude and a renewed appreciation for their shared

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:00) Welcome back to the AJ Buckley show. So just to give you a heads up what you're about to hear are some archived episodes of The show formerly real fake seal which became the AJ Buckley show So when you hear the intro real fake seal sex appeal, that's where this all began So some of these episodes we did when we transferred over Were taken down And you, the fans, that said, hey, I wanted to hear the Gary Sinise episode or the Dallas Alexander or some of the other amazing guests that we had on the show. So, producer Sean said, your wish is his command. And here you go. So, this is still the A.J. Buckley Show, but it's the formerly Real Fake Seal Archive episodes. Enjoy the show, and I will see you next Tuesday. Speaker 4 (0:50) Guys, guys, guys, guys, we're live. Speaker 3 (0:53) What's happening? Speaker 4 (0:53) We're happening. We made Speaker 3 (0:54) it. Eddie Cahill, Carmine G. Venacio. Welcome to Real Fake Seal. This is very exciting for me. And one, because you're my very first in-studio guest on my new venture. Speaker 4 (1:07) Going Speaker 3 (1:07) solo on a podcast. Real Fake Seal. That handsome man up there with this guy, AJ Buckley. Speaker 3 (1:14) I was a little nervous. I was like, I thought you guys might get a little cold feet in the morning. You're going to call and comment. You're going to be like, I haven't seen each other in over a decade. We've kept in contact and we've always said like, try to get together. And, you know. Speaker 4 (1:30) But I feel like I see you because I see you on Instagram. Yeah. But when did we really see each other in person the last time? Do you remember? I don't actually. I was trying to. Speaker 3 (1:38) Have Speaker 4 (1:39) you become that famous that you don't remember the last time we saw each other? No, that's you. You don't remember. No, that's just, I have a bad memory. Eddie can vouch for that. It has nothing to do with anything. Terrible memory. I got a terrible memory. Did you know what's Speaker 3 (1:50) so Speaker 4 (1:50) funny? It's so funny. It was like, Speaker 3 (1:52) I was texting with my wife. She's like, how's it being back with the guys and everything? I'm like, we went to bed. We basically Speaker 4 (2:00) were like, it was like eight o'clock. Speaker 3 (2:02) We're like, you guys want to get something to eat or do you just want to order room service call at night? We're like, he's like, really? I'm like, I mean, we went out for dinner, but then we're like. I'm going to go to bed. It took a lot. I Speaker 2 (2:13) peeled myself off the floor and managed to stay up pretty late last night. Should Speaker 4 (2:19) we talk about why we're here together? Eddie got loose last night. I Speaker 2 (2:21) did get a little. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm very civilized. I'm very good at being in bars. I mean, and the reason why Speaker 3 (2:28) we're all here, our wonderful, hardest working man in show business, the guy with the biggest heart. We're Speaker 2 (2:34) here Speaker 4 (2:34) for the Gary Sinise. Nashville salutes heroes in Nashville. It's the first one. This is his first one. And we all did it in 2014 in Hollywood. It was the first time he did it. I mean, what Speaker 3 (2:46) a special moment that was yesterday. I mean, just getting to Speaker 2 (2:50) see Gary in his element. Well, that's kind of what I was saying, too, because also Gary's Speaker 3 (2:54) a Speaker 2 (2:54) part of this, too. I just wanted to bring Gary into the equation because the three of us are here together today. We're all here together, and Gary's here, too. Speaker 2 (3:02) It's yeah. I love you guys. Yeah. I was like, Speaker 4 (3:05) I was going to get there eventually, but let's just start with the fact that Speaker 2 (3:07) like, it's, it's, it's so good to be here with you, you guys, you know, and Gary occupies such a special place in my life's experience in my heart. I just like, it's just so fucking awesome to be here with you both. Yeah. Speaker 3 (3:20) And you think about the, the show itself and where we all were prior to the show. And that's something I was actually, I've never asked like. Speaker 2 (3:31) I was on TV. Yeah, you were. Speaker 3 (3:32) I Speaker 2 (3:32) don't know what you guys were doing. I was busy. Jennifer Aniston. Yeah, I was busy on big Speaker 3 (3:36) TV things. Speaker 2 (3:36) That story you told last night, it's Speaker 3 (3:37) crazy. He's like, which was your Speaker 4 (3:38) first gig, Eddie? Can Speaker 3 (3:39) you just tell the first gig story just to the audience? Yeah. Your very first gig, you're at Speaker 2 (3:44) NYU. No, I'm out at that point. I was doing a play in New York. I was doing an off-Broadway play and I. I had auditioned for a role on Sex and the City and I was a young actor. Auditioning was very... Audition nerves were very hard for me to deal with so I'd shit the bed on an audition, like most of them at that point. Shortly after the opening night of the play, or I think actually the next day, Sarah Jessica Parker had come and seen the play and I walked into the theater the next day and there was a post-it note on my dressing room station that it just said Sarah Jessica Parker and a cell phone number. What? Yeah. Nuts. totally fucking nuts. This never Speaker 3 (4:24) happened to me in my life. Yeah, no, I have, yeah, no, yeah, I Speaker 2 (4:28) know. Yeah, no, I'm going to hell. I've learned that about myself. I was like, there's never, there is, Sarah Jessica Speaker 3 (4:33) Parker just left you her Speaker 2 (4:34) number? Well, she saw the show and she, so I called her up. She's like, listen, there's this role. do you want to come in and read with me? And I was Speaker 3 (4:41) like, Speaker 2 (4:41) how bad do you want it? Speaker 3 (4:43) I Speaker 2 (4:43) was like, there's no universe. Did she pick up the phone Speaker 3 (4:47) when you called? It was her cell phone number. Really? What? Do you still have Speaker 2 (4:49) it? Do you still have it? No. You didn't keep that post-it note? No, no, no. It's not in the photo album? At that point in my life too, I'm like, I Speaker 4 (4:57) don't deserve anything. Get rid of it. So Speaker 2 (4:59) you came in and read for it? I came in and read. And now it's like her and producers and the whole thing. And I, to talk about shit to bed, I was so fucking nervous. You've never been, had a producer session? Never. my life but Speaker 3 (5:09) for the people at home like explain to like what that looks like when you walk in the room Speaker 2 (5:13) yeah i mean it's interesting because it feels to me like that's a part of the world that's gone for us but it was um i walked into a room you know nothing super special about the room it was at silver cup studios in queens and in the room she was there you know she greeted me there was a casting director and a reader no not a reader she was there and you know, Michael Patrick King and John Melfi. And all I knew was very powerful people, very influential people, very, I thought everybody was like some genius and then me, you know, and walked in and absolutely felt that I had no business really being in the room, but was thoroughly excited and willing to be there and came unglued in some way. You know, I mean, I was a young professional, so I pulled something together, you know, but it wasn't good enough. And she then. Got tickets for the producers to come and see me in the play that night. And they came and saw me in the play and hired me after that. Speaker 3 (6:07) You looking to amp up your ride? Total Off-Road and more has got you covered. Whether you're shopping for custom wheels, lighting, or you just need something installed like a spray-on bed liner. They're your one-stop shop for all off-road performance and automotive needs. Find a Speaker 4 (6:22) location near you at TotalOffRoad.com. Total Off-Road, where every ride becomes an adventure. Speaker 3 (6:29) I'm going to help you out really quick. Take my advice right now. Go to ghostbed.com forward slash Buckley. Code word Buckley. Type that in, get 10 % off, and get the best sleep of your life. Wow. That's what I was told. Speaker 2 (6:42) Wow. That's pretty remarkable. It's really nice. Not only does Speaker 3 (6:46) she give you her number, she then goes out of her way. Yeah. Speaker 2 (6:50) buys tickets sends the Speaker 3 (6:51) producers the number Speaker 2 (6:52) was like a one-off it wasn't a gift it was like you may call this number once because i want to ask you a question like hey girl i think this was even like this was i think i pre-text message oh wow yeah this is like before the first text message i ever got was from a buddy in ireland and i was like what the fuck happened to my phone oh yeah yeah but this uh yeah exactly but this was this was before all that yeah This was like when you would get an audition, the agents would send a script via like carrier. Oh yeah. I remember like hard copy stuff. The pigeons would drop it off. Yeah. I miss those days. I do. Cause you get a script, you get a script, you get time. Yeah. Right. Like there was time. Now you get emails. You're like this audition was due yesterday. If I Speaker 3 (7:39) read a script. I already have trouble reading, but reading on the phone, I can't. I can't do it. I'm the same way. I have to. I Speaker 2 (7:46) can't do a screen. I need paper. Do you still Speaker 4 (7:50) print things out? I do. Yeah. Yeah, because Speaker 2 (7:52) I feel like the screen's punching me in the eyes. Yeah. I remember going into the agency, and then you'd go up to the desk, and there would be the box there. There would be the boxes and the manila Speaker 4 (8:00) envelopes. Yes. Speaker 2 (8:01) I just remember picking those up. Yeah. I Speaker 4 (8:03) think at the time, I feel like. I don't know why Bronson Pinchow is coming to mind. And I was like, and you'd see his script there. And they're like, oh, wow, this is so cool. You know, Bronson Pinchow. And Speaker 3 (8:13) then Speaker 4 (8:13) you'd have like Speaker 3 (8:14) on movie sets when they do revisions, there's like pink revision, salmon. They Speaker 4 (8:19) still do that. Speaker 3 (8:20) But it's like Speaker 4 (8:21) there's Speaker 3 (8:22) just pages. You walk into the trailer, it's just like fucking pages everywhere. A Speaker 2 (8:28) lot of trees. I remember being a young actor when you start getting. scripts from an agency. Oh, yeah. Those things felt sacred. You know, I say per our conversation. There was covers on the script. Speaker 4 (8:46) What's the word? Speaker 3 (8:47) And Speaker 2 (8:47) there was a conversation. No, but I know what you mean. Yeah, there was a different paper for the cover. I mean, there was something very... I miss that. Speaker 4 (8:56) I miss that these things are precious. Speaker 2 (8:58) I miss that. They felt like a gift. They felt like you had been invited into a club and you were being given something to be, you know, tended to and worked on. Do you remember Speaker 3 (9:07) the first time your name was watermarked on a script? Friends. Speaker 2 (9:11) Is that right? Am I making that up? Maybe the answer is no. So Speaker 4 (9:15) Eddie's first job, folks, was Sex and the City. And then Friends. Friends. Which he Speaker 2 (9:22) goes from Sarah Jessica Parker to? Jennifer Aniston. Speaker 3 (9:25) I mean, yeah, yeah, yeah. Bro, Speaker 2 (9:27) that's unbelievable. So that's what I was doing before CSI. I Speaker 3 (9:30) know. Speaker 2 (9:30) How did Friends happen? That Speaker 3 (9:32) was the biggest knock on his Speaker 4 (9:34) back door. He wasn't home, so she left a sticker there. Did Speaker 3 (9:38) she Speaker 4 (9:38) leave her number two? But she left David Schwimmer's number because she was a little nervous. Speaker 2 (9:42) Did she leave her number two? I mean, I hate to tell, I hate to sort of go on and on. No, but it is. It's kind of equally ridiculous, actually. Tell us the hill you Speaker 4 (9:52) climbed for this gig. Speaker 4 (9:57) Tell us the seven mile hike you did upstate New York with snakes crawling around. It's not fair. It's not Speaker 3 (10:05) fair. This is great. I love you so Speaker 4 (10:08) much. Speaker 3 (10:08) I was Speaker 4 (10:08) like an extra in Die Hard 4. That was my version of which I Speaker 2 (10:12) was Speaker 4 (10:12) like, it was three callbacks. I had to tell him I could roller skate. I had to do a certain amount of pull-ups. All right. Speaker 2 (10:20) You had the scene over here at Central Speaker 4 (10:22) Park. And it got cut out. It got Speaker 2 (10:24) cut out. Speaker 4 (10:25) Yeah. Speaker 3 (10:25) I feel Speaker 2 (10:26) like I probably shouldn't tell that story. No. No, Speaker 3 (10:29) so what happened? I mean, it's... Because this is Friends at the biggest moment. Like, this is Friends is the biggest show in the world. Yeah, Speaker 2 (10:35) it was big. Yeah. Yeah, it was the seventh season. I think it... Yeah, it was big. It felt like a version of The Prime, but I don't really know. Speaker 3 (10:43) where legendary American iron demands perfection. Ranger Point Precision answers the call. Handcrafted in Texas, our premium aftermarket parts transform your lever action guns into work of art that perform just as good as they look. From perfect fitting components to innovative design, we're keeping the spirit of the American West alive, one rifle at a time. Ranger Point Precision. Texas Speaker 4 (11:07) made. America proud. Built for those who demand excellence. Speaker 3 (11:12) It's Speaker 4 (11:12) at Speaker 3 (11:12) Warner Brothers lot, which I think is one of the most magical lots. Don't Speaker 4 (11:16) you Speaker 3 (11:16) agree? When you walk in there, it's like everything that I ever dreamed of as an actor. When I walk onto that set, every other studio in Hollywood has a very like sterile feeling. But that one is like. It reminds me of like... You're in the pictures. Yeah. It feels... The lot itself. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the mountains Speaker 4 (11:34) when Speaker 3 (11:35) you're looking through down the road. The guys are pushing the lights like you see in the movies and the series carrying Speaker 2 (11:39) a tree and it's like there's Speaker 3 (11:40) golf carts going by and some of the headsets. Yeah, and like Spielberg's in Speaker 2 (11:42) one of the golf carts. I remember Spielberg and then Anthony Edwards went by and I was like, what is going on? What just happened? Do you ever see Speaker 3 (11:49) that movie Wrecking Ralph? Wrecking Ralph? Oh, it's been a while. You know when Wrecking Ralph shows up and all the characters are there? And he's like, whoa. Speaker 4 (11:56) It's like that was like, you're there Speaker 3 (11:59) and you're sick. I remember just sitting there. And every time I walked through that gate, because I remember at Warner Brothers, you come down. What is that? Lancashire? Come down Lancashire? Barham. Barham. Barham Speaker 4 (12:09) Salon. Yeah, Barham to Forest Lawn and then you enter on the side. Speaker 3 (12:12) You go there and you park and like all the shows that are on are on the thing. And I remember, dude, I would sit there across, I'd walk across the street all the time and there's that cool restaurant that gives you the cheesy bread. I don't know it. I know it. Speaker 2 (12:27) It's the Green Roof. Yes, I know. I actually never went. What, on Speaker 4 (12:30) Riverside? Speaker 2 (12:32) What does Barham become? When you're passing the front entrance. Before you get to pass. Alameda. But I would go. Turn Speaker 4 (12:40) around. Speaker 3 (12:40) Actually, Speaker 2 (12:41) it's a Speaker 4 (12:41) club. No, I know. I worked at Warner Brothers for the first time. Just recently? Just on the pit. Really? Just a couple months ago. You were very good on that. Thank you. Speaker 2 (12:50) Nick, he was watching it, and then I heard. I could hear the voice in the other room and it's like, I lit up and I was like, rewind it. And went in there and Speaker 4 (12:59) went back. And yeah, Speaker 2 (13:01) man, you're so good. Thanks, man. You're so good. Speaker 4 (13:03) That was so sweet. When Nikki texted me and then you guys called me, but that was, you guys, you guys obviously worked at Warner Brothers, but that's, so that's what you do. Friends, obviously. But for me, you know, where I live now, Speaker 3 (13:12) I was Speaker 4 (13:14) able to walk. I mean, Warner Brothers. Oh, Speaker 3 (13:16) that's where Speaker 4 (13:16) you walk to work? I could, I didn't because I'm lazy, but. you know, it was so cool to go 60 seconds. And I feel what you're feeling about water. I thought it was the Speaker 3 (13:27) old, um, uh, back to the future. Yeah. It's what I thought it was, but apparently Speaker 4 (13:31) it's the Gilmore girls, which I didn't know about, but my cousin knew about it. Cause he had mentioned, I told him, but so yeah, Speaker 3 (13:37) it's a great, it's just, there's so much history. And then they have the plaques of like all the, the shows that were there before. Um, It was a really sort of thing. So just to finish up the story here. So you walk in and you're auditioning for the character. Do they tell you what it is? There's Speaker 2 (13:52) a back, there's a backstory to it in that it kind of comes out of that same play I was doing in New York. I, well, I I'm doing this play and then. I went, there's a guy waiting for me after the play who wound up becoming my manager for, you know, the, the 20 some odd years of my career. I won't bore you with the whole thing, but ultimately we start working together through, I mean, I think the story of my early career is, is actually, it's, it's got all these weird little, it's kind of magical actually. So we start working together. And for whatever the reason was, that was very offensive to the agents I was working with at the time. And I'm one of these guys where it's like, if you like me, you'll have to kill me to get rid of me. I'm just so happy to be liked by anybody. So like my agents, you know what I mean? I'm like, I love you. You like me? Great. We're friends forever. You know what I mean? Like, really? Like, it's, yeah. Like, sorry. Like, now we're in love. This is how this works. It's like gold retriever. Tom, Speaker 3 (14:43) you're friends. You're my friend. Worst of all, let's play. Speaker 2 (14:49) You want to go for a walk? I do too. Oh my God. That you just reminded me of what was the animated movie you did with you were the dinosaur and the big chase scene. I went to see that with my kid and I don't know how old he was at the time. But during that chase scene, I had one of these kids that like you could not contain. He's fucking like, he's vibrating in the fucking seat. And at the climax of that. chasing where I think you're victorious in it. My kid screams out in the movie theater and goes, ha ha, dick ass. You're Speaker 1 (15:21) a Speaker 2 (15:21) dick ass. That's what AJ Speaker 4 (15:23) said. No, it's my Speaker 2 (15:25) kid said. It's what Henry said in Speaker 4 (15:26) the Speaker 3 (15:26) theater. Oh, okay, Speaker 4 (15:27) okay. And I was like, oh, I love him. Speaker 3 (15:28) Yeah, same thing. Speaker 2 (15:29) Yeah. Yeah. Um, what were we talking Speaker 3 (15:32) about? Jennifer Aniston. Friends. How Speaker 4 (15:34) did you get friends? AJ wants to know how you got friends. Do you like how I drag this out? We have five minutes left. I'm Speaker 2 (15:41) trying to simplify Speaker 4 (15:41) it. So I start Speaker 2 (15:42) working with this manager. The agency situation that I'm in blows up. Speaker 4 (15:46) They didn't like that you got a manager? I don't know what happened. Speaker 2 (15:49) I don't know why this happened to this day. I don't know. But there's a whole fucking story behind this where like... I meet the guy, this and that. The next thing I know, my agent tells me I'm having a meeting with the owner of the company. At the time, it was a company in New York that was like a mid-level but prominent agency. I have a meeting with this guy who's basically like, oh, there's a whole other fucking – there's like – it really is ridiculous. Speaker 2 (16:17) I had a general meeting with a woman who was a casting director at the WB. This is pretty friends. Speaker 3 (16:22) WB Network. Kathleen Lettering. And Speaker 2 (16:25) she single-handedly kick-started something in my career. Prior to that, I had met this manager who became my manager at this play. One of the things he said to me after the meeting was, I like you. I think you're good. You have no tape, right? I didn't know what that meant. That meant I had never been on television. Speaker 3 (16:41) He's Speaker 2 (16:41) like, so I can't sell you in L.A., but let's keep in touch. Great. We keep in touch. The sex in this city thing happens. So I let him know at some point like, hey, I'm going to have tape, you know, using the lingo. Speaker 4 (16:53) I Speaker 2 (16:53) don't know quite the timeline. I have this general meeting with this woman at the WB, Kathleen Littery. At some point in – I'm in New York at the time. At some point in Los Angeles, Kathleen Littery and this manager, David Seltzer, who became my manager, are having lunch. The way he tells the story is he's paying the bill. And he says to her at the end of the, at the lunch, have you met any, you know, young or interesting actors? She says, I just met this kid, Eddie Cahill in New York. He says to her, would you do a holding deal with Eddie? Speaker 4 (17:23) This fucking Speaker 2 (17:24) guy's Speaker 4 (17:25) got Speaker 2 (17:25) a hold. No, it's ridiculous. All of this is happening totally unbeknownst to me. I think this guy, we can Speaker 3 (17:30) get there. Speaker 2 (17:30) This is like back in Speaker 3 (17:31) the Speaker 2 (17:31) day Speaker 3 (17:31) where you get holding deals like this. Yeah. But this is awesome. So now my phone rings. Speaker 2 (17:35) Yeah. Holding deal. Speaker 3 (17:37) Wow. Speaker 2 (17:38) And out of fucking nowhere. And you're like, Speaker 3 (17:40) holding coffee? What am I holding? What am I holding? I'm like, this Speaker 2 (17:42) sounds great. Tape? I'm holding tape? Yeah. So this thing starts to get. worked out right like it takes a while for that to happen that i bring that news to the agency i'm with this is what started it this is what started it Speaker 3 (17:55) so Speaker 2 (17:55) the next thing i know i'm having a meeting and i'm conflicted because like at this point i'm like you know my parents know my agents i'm like this i think we're family like i'm Speaker 4 (18:04) an Speaker 2 (18:04) idiot you know what i mean and and they're good people right like and they're doing their job i don't know why this guy got a fucking hair up his ass yeah next i know i'm having a meeting with him he's telling me this guy's lying to you there's no holding deal there's and i'm like oh shit you know what i mean and then i go back to this guy and i'm like hey this is like this is going on and he's like well you know what's going on this is not i had just like this is back