Mark Harmon on Austin Stowell, 'NCIS: Origins' and Gibbs' Rules
Mark Harmon is praising Austin Stowell as the younger version of his Leroy Jethro Gibbs character on CBS' new prequel, "NCIS: Origins."
“Austin is a good kid and a nice actor," Harmon told Parade, adding that the new character and cast, introduced in October, will evolve. "I think back to the original show, say the first four years, and the molding of the show and how many changes there were in those first four years. There were huge changes, and you expect it's going to be no different on this.”
The premiere revealed narrator Harmon as Gibbs, still fishing in Alaska as we last saw him when Harmon left the show in October 2021. Older Gibbs is also working on a journal.
“They were trying to figure out how to introduce the narrative,” Harmon said.
The reveal was one of many "NCIS" clues on "Origins," including Gibbs getting his first sip of bourbon, the first time he stopped an elevator for a private conversation, the fact that he always carries a knife and the beginning of Gibbs Rules — a staple of the original series.
"The intent always was to have great fun with that, and there's so many," Harmon said.
How Mark Harmon feels about 'NCIS: Origins' and new Gibbs, Austin Stowell
Harmon, 73, has seen the star power of Stowell, 39. Harmon was in the room when Stowell first auditioned for the role of young Gibbs in the series, set in the early 1990s. His fellow "NCIS: Origins" executive producer, Gina Lucita Monreal, "swooned" when "The Hating Game" star entered his audition following scores of other hopefuls, Harmon said in an earlier interview with Paste BN.
"I joked about Gina swooning, but the truth is she did. She may deny it, but she did," Harmon told Paste BN at the Television Critics Association Saturday. "And when (Stowell) walked out of the room, she said, 'Now that guy is a star!'"
Harmon's Gibbs became the "NCIS" standout when the CBS series premiered in 2003. The former U.S. Marine Corps Scout sniper-turned-special-agent commanded his NCIS team for 18 years on CBS until Harmon's final episode in October 2021.
Who does Austin Stowell replace as the younger Gibbs on 'NCIS: Origins'?
During Harmon's tenure on "NCIS," the role of the young Gibbs was often played in flashback by the actor's real-life son, Sean Harmon, who came up with the idea of the spinoff series while shooting "NCIS" Episode 400 in 2020.
"It was a lightning-bolt moment. Gibbs is a guy who has something broken inside, a guy who at one point could have down a darker path," said Sean Harmon. Gibbs in "NCIS: Origins" will fill the TV audience in on the traumatic loss of the character's wife and child early in his career.
"On 'NCIS,' Gibbs had 30 years to come to terms with the trauma," said Sean Harmon. "But on 'NCIS: Origins, ' this is a guy with none of the answers and all the trauma."
Sean, 36, insisted he never wanted to play Gibbs on a full-time basis after "NCIS."
"It was an absolute honor to step into the role; it will always be something I’ll hold close to my heart," he said. "In truth, I never intended to make a career out of it."
Stowell said it would be a different Gibbs dealing with the loss of his wife and child. "It's not the Gibbs the world knows. This is someone broken, searching for his identity," said Stowell. "During the screen test, Mark came up to me and gave me two words that I'll remember forever – 'trust yourself.'"
After a week of filming, Stowell said he felt like baseball hero Lou Gehrig, who “said he felt like the luckiest man in the world," said Stowell. "That’s how I feel here. It's only Week 1. But we’re doing something very special here."
Will Mark Harmon ever return to 'NCIS'?
Asked if he'd ever bring the retired Gibbs back to "NCIS," Harmon demurred. "I don't know. It's really about feeling you've fulfilled a role," said Harmon. "I've always let the writers do what they want to do."
In his final "NCIS" scene, Gibbs stayed put fishing in Alaska after solving a final case, while Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) and crew returned to Washington D.C. Harmon said he doesn't know where Gibbs is now.
"I don't think he's still standing in the stream," said Harmon. "Other than that, I don't know. Maybe still Alaska. I just honored (Gibbs) finding a peace that he hadn't known in a while. It just made sense."