Mark Harmon Dreamed of Getting This Show on the Air
By Movieguide® Contributor
For over a decade Mark Harmon portrayed the role of Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the hit TV series NCIS.
As producers and showrunners began to plan for the new prequel series, NCIS: ORIGINS, Harmon recalled the moment when Austin Stowell was casted as the young Leroy Gibbs.
“I felt the room jump a little when Austin came in, before he said anything,” Harmon said to PEOPLE.
“He walked out and someone said, ‘I’ll just say it, that’s a movie star,’” Harmon recalled after Stowell’s audition.
Stowell admitted he’s “never been on a show like this” but that’s what made him right for the job.
“There was heavy competition there,” Harmon said of casting the role. “There were a lot of good people. I would say that there were really few who drew the attention Austin did.
“I can say that about any role that was cast in this show, because they all came in one after another. We got everybody we wanted,” he added.
Even though Stowell has never been a part of something so special, he is grateful for the opportunity.
“I like that responsibility,” Stowell said. “It gives me great purpose. I don’t just go to work for me, I go to work with everyone. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. I love it.”
Harmon serves as a producer and narrator for the new TV series. Harmon and his counterparts, Gina Lucita Montreal and David J. North, said the series has become exactly what they envisioned.
“So often when you pitch something or talk about something or dream about something, the format by the time you get on air changes a lot,” Harmon said. “Very rarely at the other end of it, does it come out the way you thought. This has come out the way we thought — so far.”
The first two episode of NCIS: ORIGINS are now available to stream on Paramount+.
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