NCIS: Origins’ Austin Stowell Shares How He Almost Missed Learning He’d Been Cast In The CBS Prequel, And Gibbs Would Be Proud

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NCIS: Origins’ Austin Stowell Shares How He Almost Missed Learning He’d Been Cast In The CBS Prequel, And Gibbs Would Be Proud

As a long-time enthusiast of the NCIS series, I must say that the upcoming prequel, NCIS: Origins, has managed to keep me on the edge of my seat with anticipation. The story behind Austin Stowell getting cast as the young Gibbs is nothing short of serendipitous – a testament to the fact that nature, in this case, can indeed be a double-edged sword.

Despite Sean Harmon having played a younger version of Leroy Jethro Gibbs in several NCIS episodes, he won’t reprise that role for the upcoming prequel series, NCIS: Origins. Instead, he will serve as an executive producer on the show, alongside his father, Mark Harmon, who originally played Gibbs, and Austin Stowell will portray Gibbs in 1991, a few months after the murder of his first wife Shannon and their daughter Kelly. Before NCIS: Origins makes its way onto the 2024 TV schedule, Stowell shared memories of almost missing out on being cast in the CBS prequel, and Gibbs would undoubtedly be pleased with the outcome.

In an interview with EW, the star of Bridge of Spies and The Hating Game disclosed that following an initial reading, he traveled to Los Angeles for a formal audition for NCIS: Origins. Here, he faced Mark and Sean Harmon, as well as executive producers David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal. After receiving guidance from the senior Harmon, who was pleased with Stowell’s performance, the prospective Gibbs actor returned to Vermont. A month later, he nearly missed the call telling him he had secured the role that Stephen Amell also tried out for. Stowell elaborated on this by saying:

Living in a bit of an off-grid area here, I just managed to regain service and, lo and behold, a call came in. Two minutes earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to take it. It was David and Gina on the line, informing me that my life was about to undergo a significant shift.

Considering how much Leroy Jethro Gibbs loves spending time in nature, to the point that he made his last present-day appearance in NCIS Season 19’s fourth episode when he found peace in the Alaskan wilderness, Austin Stowell almost missing the good news about NCIS: Origins because he was out in an area of nature without cell reception is so great. The irony isn’t lost on David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal either, with the former saying they “laughed so hard about that.” No doubt other attempts would have been made to call Stowell to let him know he’d be playing Origins’ lead, but it’s still good that he was able to pick up on the first try.

Apart from Austin Stowell portraying a younger version of Gibbs, Mark Harmon will also lend his voice to the older Gibbs in the new series. The older Gibbs has retired from NCIS for quite some time now. Alongside Stowell, Kyle Schmid takes on the role of Mike Franks, Mariel Molino plays Lala Dominguez, Tyla Abercrumbie is cast as Mary Jo Sullivan, and Diany Rodriguez portrays Vera Strickland in NCIS: Origins. The principal cast is further joined by Caleb Martin Foote as Benjamin “Randy” Randolf and Robert Taylor as Jackson Gibbs, who is Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ father, a role previously played by the late Ralph Waite on NCIS. This new series features these characters in its main and recurring roles.

The expanded debut of “NCIS: Origins,” titled “Enter Sandman,” is set to broadcast on Monday, October 14, directly following the first episode of Season 22 of NCIS. After their initial airing on CBS, you can stream new episodes from both shows with a Paramount+ subscription. Additionally, Paramount+ will be the exclusive platform for the forthcoming spinoff “NCIS: Tony & Ziva.

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2024-09-19 07:07