How Does Mark Harmon Really Feel About NCIS: ORIGINS?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Mark Harmon may not have much of an acting role in NCIS: ORIGINS, but he is still very much involved.
He reflected on his role as narrator for the show in an interview with Parade.
“That’s been fun because both [showrunners] Gina [Lucita Monreal] and David [J. North] have a long history with the show and I go way back with both of them,” he said. “So, me doing the narration was always going to be part of this, so that wasn’t a surprise. What is the surprise is talking about Gibbs. Sometimes I don’t have a lot of stuff to do in an episode and then sometimes I’ve got a boatload of stuff to do and that’s putting words in the mouth of a character that traditionally said a lot with very little.”
READ MORE: NCIS: ORIGINS 1.1 AND 1.2 “ENTER SANDMAN – PART 1 AND PART 2” REVIEW
Harmon added that he is really happy with the decision to cast Austin Stowell as the young Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
“We’re happy with the cast,” he said. “Austin is a good kid and a nice actor. I think back to all the weeks we spent in casting offices trying to put that cast together and we couldn’t be happier with this cast, but at the same time, I think back to the original show, say the first four years, and the molding of the show and how many changes there were in those first four years. There were huge changes, and you expect it’s going to be no different on this that there’ll be changes.”
Harmon’s son Sean Harmon, who’s an executive producer for ORIGINS, previously spoke about how young Gibbs differs from his dad’s version.
“The character of Gibbs has resonated with global audiences because he is a role model and at the same time someone you can relate to,” Sean Harmon, Mark Harmon’s son who served as an executive producer, said. “The world is used to seeing Gibbs as ‘the boss’, but in NCIS: ORIGINS we are dealing with a much less tempered version of him. Fans can look forward to a more intimate look into what makes Gibbs tick, as well as meeting some of the characters who influenced him along the way.”
READ MORE: NCIS: ORIGINS IS ‘GRITTIER’ THAN PREDECESSORS. IS IT WORTH A WATCH?
ORIGINS just got a full-season order from CBS last week.
“NCIS: ORIGINS has added a brilliant new dimension to the NCIS franchise with an origin story of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and a cinematic ’90s experience that features distinct characters, stories and crime solving,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment.
