Gary: Dourdan, as in Michael Jordan

P: You play Warrick Brown in top US drama CSI. How am I to read him? Is he a tortured soul?

G: He likes the challenge, so he's kinda pushing the envelope. He's probably gotten into his fair share of trouble in the shows, and it's been great drama to play.

Pride: Can you relate to him from your own personal life?

Gary: Oh yeah, I'm always getting in trouble

P: You used to have dreadlocks. Did it stereotype you in any way?

G: I kept getting pigeonholed because I had 'locks' so when I decided to cut them off, I think I had stopped living the transition and I was trying to change my whole vibe up. It still seems kind of weird but I guess it works better.

P: I hear you're a bit of a whiz in the kitchen?

G: I used to cook for a living, so I was a chef in a lot of restaurants before I became a working actor. I still do a bit of it when I have time. I like to prepare when I cook; I like to take my time.

P: Okay, say I've had a busy week, I had to get a lot of takeaway, but now it's Sunday - a day of relaxation - what would you make me for lunch?

G: I wouldn't probably, because I wouldn't have the time. So maybe we could go to a restaurant. When I cook, I like to take a whole Sunday. I like to marinate, and I like to prepare all the goodies, then to have a nice meal, relaxed. I don't like to rush when I cook.

P: What's your happiest memory?

G: Waking up with my kids smiling at me. That was the most recent.

P: Are you a family man?

G: Yeah, I hang with the kids, I play in the studio. I have a lot of family around. I hang with my mom and pops. I've moved everyone close to me. We used to be pretty spread out. [My family] is a fair amount - there are about five kids and a bunch of grandchildren that my parents have.

P: Are you religious?

G: I'm very spiritual. I think less so religious in structured sense. I believe in paying special attention to your ancestry, to your grandparents, to your great-grandparents, grandmothers, grandfathers and special attention to children in your world, because they represent God. Giving as much as you can without asking back I think gives us the medicine that gives us the balance of life.

P: Do you think Hurricane Katrina helped renew that sense of spirituality?

G: Well, basically it helped for us to define what's wrong in our society. It helped for us to define problems so that we can fix them in the future. I'm not sure if that was completely addressed after the tragedy, but it certainly put a flashlight on the problem area.

P: You're described as a sex symbol. How do you relate to that?

G: Anyone that says that needs laser eye surgery! It's amazing what new techniques are used in science these days.