YEARS of tossing off one-liners in teen comedies such as “10 Things I Hate About You” and have finally paid off for native New York actor David Krumholtz. He has a hit show on his hands – CBS’ newest crime drama “Numb3rs.”
On the show – a “CSI” for the mathematically inclined – Krumholtz plays Professor Charlie Eppes, the genius mathematician younger brother of FBI agent Don Eppes (Rob Morrow). Together, they combine math and police work to solve crimes.
Like other procedurals, many of the situations are inspired by real-life events. What’s not real though, is Krumholtz’s knowledge of math.
“I’m not very mathematical and never have been, unfortunately, in real life,” says the 26-year old native actor, who admits that his math SAT score was a low 520, “after a lot of studying.”
Still, Krumholtz does have a basic grasp of the concepts that he talks about on the show and has even caught a couple mistakes in the professionally prepared equations that are used.
“It’s usually the simple math that gets a little screwed up because our consultants spend so much time putting together the advanced equations,” says Krumholtz.
What about those long equations that Charlie frantically scribbles on chalkboards?
“I don’t understand half of what I’m writing,” Krumholtz reveals. “They’ll have me write most of the equation before we film and then have me write the last little bit when they start rolling the cameras.”
To prepare for the role, Krumholtz haunted the halls of the California Institute of Technology, observing real math professors and discovering that math is, as most of us suspect, not sexy.
“Charlie is not the common mathematician in the way he looks – not that I consider myself sexy,” the single actor quickly adds. “He’s the ‘cool’ professor every campus has to have.”
Fortunately for Krumholtz, most of America has overlooked the the dry nature of subject to tune in to “Numb3rs,” even with its Friday nighttime slot.
“I come from a tradition of failed television shows, so a hit is certainly a surprise,” says Krumholtz. Some of this flops? “The Trouble with Normal” in 2000 and “The Lyon’s Den” in 2003.
The one show you’ll definitely recognize him from is “ER.” In 2000, Krumholtz played a schizophrenic patient who murdered one doctor andalmost killed Noah Wyle’s Dr. Carter in a shocking bloodbath. It was a startling change of pace.
“I wanted to see if I could do drama and I guess I took it to a pretty extreme place,” says Krumholtz. “I came home every night dazed.
“When I watch [the show] now, I laugh, but I guess people were genuinely frightened by it, so it’s cool.”
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NUMB3RS
Friday, 10 p.m., CBS