As a long-time NCIS enthusiast who has witnessed the evolution of the show over two decades, I can confidently say that Rocky Carroll‘s journey as Leon Vance has been nothing short of captivating. His entry into the series, though seemingly late compared to some, felt just right – like the missing piece in a puzzle finally falling into place.
Rocky Carroll has been part of NCIS for such a long time that it’s easy to think he’s been there from the start. However, with NCIS Season 22 set to air soon in the 2024 TV lineup, let’s take a trip down memory lane to when Carroll’s character, Leon Vance, was still considered the newcomer. Vance made his debut in the latter part of Season 5 as the Assistant Director of NCIS, and by the season finale, he assumed the role of Director following Lauren Holly’s Jenny Shepard’s demise. Interestingly enough, during the filming of that final Season 5 scene, Carroll was the victim of a prank masterminded by Mark Harmon, who played Leroy Jethro Gibbs. This little joke, I must say, is quite amusing in retrospect.
Actor Rocky Carroll recently visited the podcast “Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch” and chatted with hosts Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo, his long-time co-stars on “NCIS” who are now set to headline their own spinoff, “NCIS: Tony & Ziva“. During the conversation, Carroll elaborated on how his character, Vance, disbanded the main team in the closing scenes of Season 5 finale by assigning them their “punishment,” as he referred to it. Additionally, he pointed out that Vance had a habit of chewing a toothpick, which was inspired by “NCIS” technical director Leon Carroll, Jr., who shares the same name with Leon Vance. This toothpick habit served as the foundation for the practical joke orchestrated by Harmon, with Rocky Carroll first stating:
At a crucial juncture, when the fate of every NCIS agent was being revealed, Harmon had asked everyone to secretly hold a toothpick in their mouth. As the cameras focused solely on me, I was trying my best to put on a dramatic show, aware that all eyes were on me. Looking deeply into each pair of eyes, I gave it my all, attempting to project the coolest gaze possible since I knew the cameras were trained on me. This was my chance to shine, and I wasn’t going to let it slip away. Suddenly, as if by magic, every actor standing there simultaneously discarded their hidden toothpicks, following Harmon’s lead. Earlier, Harmon had warned that he might pull a prank, but some were hesitant because I was new to the show. However, Harmon reassured them, saying, “Don’t worry, he’s not going to break.
Although the NCIS Season 5 finale, titled “Judgement Day (Part II),” marked Rocky Carroll’s fifth appearance on the show, he was still a newbie among the group. So when the time came to shoot the scene where he sent Ziva back to Israel, reassigned Tony and McGee, and assigned new team members for Gibbs to oversee, Mark Harmon decided to have a little fun by having him, Michael Weatherly, Cote de Pablo and Sean Murray stick those toothpicks in their mouth. Well, actually, it functioned partly as an amusing prank, but also as a way for Harmon to prove he was confident that Carroll was a skilled enough actor to not break character at that ridiculous sight, and the was right. Carroll continued:
In a playful manner, let me rephrase that for you: During his live coverage, I decided to pull off an unexpected prank that only he would witness. It was like casually slipping up when someone is on camera. I’m pleased to admit that my hunch proved correct. As I reached the climax of my speech, exiling everyone to the wilderness, a line of actors stood there with toothpicks in their mouths, visible only to me. In that moment, as we waited for what seemed like an eternity without anyone yelling “cut,” there was this tense silence, as if they were all waiting for me to crack under pressure. Thankfully, I held my ground, and when the camera finally stopped rolling, we all burst into laughter. Harmon’s reaction was priceless: “I told you he wouldn’t break!
Bravo to Rocky Carroll for maintaining his composure over such a long period! Fans who have been following NCIS for quite some time, or those who caught up using their Paramount+ subscription, are aware that when Season 6 began, the main characters quickly reunited. It took a while longer for Leon Vance to shake off the suspicion, but eventually, he did, and it’s tough now to imagine NCIS without him. What’s more, he still occasionally gets an episode dedicated to his character, such as when he was targeted in the 1,000th episode of the NCIS franchise this year.
The 22nd season of NCIS starts airing on Monday, October 14th at 8 pm Eastern Time. Following this, an extended premiere of the Gibbs-centric prequel, NCIS: Origins, will be shown straight away. Furthermore, we can expect another spinoff, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, to debut sometime next year. Additionally, Season 2 of NCIS: Sydney is in the pipeline as well.
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2024-10-10 15:37