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Lucas Black Quit NCIS: NEW ORLEANS to Put Family First

Photo courtesy of One Thirty Agency – LEGACY PEAK (2022)

Lucas Black Quit NCIS: NEW ORLEANS to Put Family First

By Movieguide® Contributor

Lucas Black has revealed why he chose to leave his starring role on NCIS: NEW ORLEANS, and shared what he’s been doing since leaving the show.

Black played agent Christopher LaSalle, from 2014 to 2019 on the crime procedural. At the end of the show’s sixth season, his character was killed off. 

“I think going into the series I realized that the way it operates, it wasn’t gonna last forever for me,” Black told Fox News. “Being in the entertainment business since I was an early child, I was able to recognize how destructive it can be to families. Most of the time that’s because you’re away from home for a long time and the working hours are very long… For three years, it was normal to work 70 hours a week.

“I would go to work, the kids would still be in bed,” the actor continued. “I would come home and they would already be in bed for the night going to sleep again. That doesn’t bode too well with your relationship with your children… so for us, we knew that couldn’t last forever.”

Black was quick to emphasize that he had nothing but love for his cast mates and the show’s crew, but “enough was enough…it was time for us to…spend that quality time with each other that was sacrificed for six years.”

The actor is now spending time with his wife and three children, as well as continuing to act. Black is currently starring in Pure Flix’s LEGACY PEAK. 

A portion of Movieguide®’s review reads:

LEGACY PEAK is an adventure movie streaming on PureFlix. FAST & FURIOUS actor Lucas Black plays Jason, who wants to bond with his girlfriend’s two children before he proposes on Christmas Eve. He plans to fly the children, Ben and his older sister Sam, to their grandparents while his girlfriend finishes up work before the holidays. However, after going off-course, a flock of birds hits the plane, and Jason, Ben and Sam are stranded in the wild. Will they be able to band together and survive? Or will the emotional tensions, packs of wolves, and extreme weather get the better of them?

LEGACY PEAK is a well-shot, well-acted movie. Despite pacing issues, the movie’s intensity ramps up during the second half, and viewers will become more involved in the story and characters. LEGACY PEAK has a strong Christian, moral worldview. It champions God, prayer, faith, Scripture, and fatherhood. On several occasions, Jason relies on strength from God to keep the children safe. MOVIEGUIDE® advises light caution for sensitive younger viewers because of intense peril and the violent struggle with scary wolves in LEGACY PEAK.

“To get a script like LEGACY PEAK, one that is a positive fatherhood story, one that puts fathers in a good light, one that uplifts and encourages… I couldn’t say no,” Black shared. “This is a story that you can sit down and watch with your whole family. And fathers should be proud that their kids are seeing it, that it’s going to put them in a good light. That’s one of the reasons why we chose to do this project. And I couldn’t be happier how it turned out.”

Movieguide® previously reported on Black’s part in the movie:

You may recognize actor Lucas Black from his recurring role as Sean Boswell in the FAST & FURIOUS franchise. But in his new movie, Pure Flix’s LEGACY PEAK, Black said that his focus is on the importance of faith and fatherhood.

Black said he hopes that LEGACY PEAK will highlight the importance of a godly earthly father and the encouraging truth of our heavenly father.

Despite Black’s passion for the message of LEGACY PEAK, he did not initially want to appear on screen again after taking time to rest and be with his family.

“It was really an answered prayer for us,” Black said of the role. “After I left NCIS New Orleans, in the fall of 2019, my wife and I decided to take a year off and really just connect with our Heavenly Father and with each other and just rest and travel the country with our family.”

In 2018, Black said that he and his wife, Maggie O’Brien, decided to homeschool their children. At a homeschool convention in Houston, Black met pastor Eric Ludy, who connected Black to LEGACY PEAK.

“I wasn’t really eager to get back in front of the camera,” Black explained. “But the whole time, during that transition, or during that rest period, we had been seeing a huge culture shift in our country, [we were] just asking God, ‘How can He use my platform to impact culture in a positive way? To really empower men, empower fathers, and empower the nuclear family.”

“My wife reads the script, and she comes back to me with tears in her eyes and says, ‘I don’t know why you wouldn’t do this.’ And so that’s kind of how God orchestrated the whole thing,” he added.

Black said that LEGACY PEAK also provides a Christian movie that would appeal to fathers in a specific way.

“I feel like there’s a need and people are really wanting good content that really speaks and highlights family values,” Black told Movieguide®. “This is a movie, it’s made for kids, but it’s one the whole family can really sit down and watch. What I want is for the men to really come away feeling empowered, and feeling like, ‘Hey, this story put us in a good light. It showed the masculine qualities that God has given us to provide and to protect the innocent.’”

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


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