NCIS: ORIGINS Star Promises Show Is ‘An NCIS-Verse You Haven’t Seen Before’

By Movieguide® Contributor

Austin Stowell is ready to put his own stamp on the iconic NCIS character Leroy Jethro Gibbs in upcoming prequel series NCIS: ORIGINS.

“It’s an NCIS-verse you haven’t seen before,” the actor, who plays Gibbs in the new series, told People. “We’re not trying to do something over again.”

He continued, “I knew I had something that I could bring to the character that was very real, that was palpable. But I also knew that I was stepping into a character that was creative, created and filled out and beloved by [Mark Harmon] for 20 years. And I wanted to pay homage to his acting talent. So I wasn’t doing an impression, but I was trying to encapsulate who I thought Mark was. And I do that every day now. He leads by example. We’re all here because of him.”

Stowell shared his insights into the character and where he is as NCIS: ORIGINS kicks off in an interview with TV Insider.

“[The losses of wife Shannon and daughter Kelly are] what drew me to the character initially, that grief is something that unfortunately most of us have gone through, and certainly these first several episodes are a bit of a meditation on grief in the different stages,” the actor explained.

He added, “We’re going to see someone who’s emotional, who’s lashing out at times, who’s jumpy and also considering every option. And I think that also includes the ultimate option. This is someone who’s already tried to take his own life and is getting a second chance from it and doesn’t want to spoil that. I think that’s very alive in the Gibbs that I’m portraying.”

“This is obviously so different from the version that NCIS fans have seen for 19 years and this wonderful character that Mark Harmon has created that does, of course, have this backstory and there’s moments of it, but this is a character who is living in that, who’s living in the grief, who’s living in the dark hole and trying to dig himself out of it,” Stowell went on. “And so this is a character that’s really fun to play because this is the guy who threw up his hands at one point to give up and is now ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work and find new passion.”

Stowell is already receiving praise for his portrayal of Gibbs, as well as his dedication to honoring Harmon’s work on the show.

NCIS: ORIGINS writer and executive producer David North told Entertainment Weekly, “We just knew when Austin came in that he was Gibbs. He embodied it. His talent is limitless — his dedication to the role, studying Mark, studying the show — he has a similar leadership quality that Mark had on set that bleeds into Gibbs the character.”

Harmon himself agrees that Stowell is perfect in the role. Movieguide® previously reported:

As season one of NCIS: ORIGINS draws near, Mark Harmon explained why he and his fellow showrunners believe Austin Stowell is a perfect fit to take on the role of young Gibbs.

“I always thought there was a calm that was important. It’s a lot for an actor to come into a room with that kind of burden on a load to try to say, ‘Can I physically look like that person? Can I be that person?’ I thought Austin just was himself,” Harmon told Parade.

“[Stowell] walked out of the [audition] and [executive producer Gina Lucita Monreal] said, ‘That guy is a star.’ That’s what she said,” Harmon continued. “The truth of is, he lit the room. You’re in a room for a long time with people coming in one after another and you just go with an instinct. That’s what we’ve done.”

“What I was excited about was the fact that he had the core of what I think Gibbs is,” Monreal added, “which is this broken character but also this immense strength. I feel like that’s really a difficult balance to achieve, and I think Austin does that.”