Leroy Jethro Gibbs is back, but he’s not the Gibbs you know from NCIS. NCIS: Origins shows how young Gibbs joined NIS in the ‘90s, which later became NCIS. Austin Stowell plays Gibbs in the prequel, though Mark Harmon does appear in present-day scenes and narrates the show.
Stowell was on the Television Critics Association panel for NCIS: Origins. After the panel, he stayed on stage to speak with reporters further about joining the legendary NCIS franchise in the pivotal role. NCIS: Origins premieres on Monday, October 14, 2024 at 10pm ET/PT.
Austin Stowell NCIS: Origins Interview
Does it scare you that this could go 20 years like the original NCIS?
Austin Stowell: “If you told me right now, if you could see the future and you told me that I’d be doing this for another 20 years, I’d say, ‘Sign me up and let’s take our time doing it.’ I call my brothers almost daily and I, almost every single day so far, I say this is the best job I ever had. This is just the greatest job ever. I have the most wonderful cast mates. Incredible writing that goes deeper into the world that they’ve created on NCIS already.
This is going to be a bit more complex, a bit more internal because we’re going to be looking inside the experiences and the trauma that allowed Gibbs to find the confidence and grounding presence that he had that the world is falling in love with.”
There are already 450 episodes about Gibbs but is there still a lot of room for aspects of the story we don’t know?
Austin Stowell: “I’ll be very honest with you. I’ve only read two episodes so I’m doing my homework now in terms of trying to get very familiar with that canon, only because it means so much to so many people. I want to be able to talk to the fans in a way that shows my homage to what’s come before me. I’m standing on the shoulders of this man right here. I’m pointing. You can’t see that. I’m pointing at Mark Harmon. This guy has created a character that the world has fallen in love with. So, I think it’s really important for me to find what the core of that character, what was on the inside.
In terms of where we can go in the canon of the world, that’s a decision creative will make as far as what storylines we’re going to stay close to. As you can see, Franks is already here. You’re going to see that relationship blossom, why it means so much when you see Gibbs and Franks together on NCIS, the ‘A Show’ as we call it. There’s a whole world that is hidden. A lot of us don’t talk about the trauma of our past, particularly with our coworkers. But it’s what makes us us. It makes you the human being that you are as much as the human being that I am.
So in terms of character work, we’re going to get to see Gibbs crawl through the muck, to go through the trauma, to lose a wife and a child the way he does and then to come back and become the man that you know that he is 20 years down the line. How did he get there? That journey is one that I think people are going to be really interested to see.”
How would you describe Gibbs at this point in his life?
Austin Stowell: “Off balance. Unsure of himself, but knowing that he has the training to see himself through situations. So, this is a freight train that keeps going up to brick walls. Some of those walls are thicker than others. I think these rules – I’m being particular with my words – you’ll see how the rules come into effect from an early age. Maybe the rules weren’t even his own. Maybe they were written for him sometimes and he’s adapted them as his own.”
Do you like having landmarks established for this character or would you prefer to have more undefined freedom?
Austin Stowell: “Having a character so established, I think, has to be a pleasure and a pressure. I think Billie Jean King said it best when she said that pressure is a privilege. The fact that I get to do this, the fact that you’re even asking me that question, you know the shoes of Gibbs. That duty fills me with pride that I have a job now to this audience out there that gets so much out of the show, out of Gibbs and out of his relationship with the people in his life. To step into that gives me purpose to get out of bed in the morning, man. I’m popping out of bed. I can’t wait to go live life every single day and step into the shoes.”
Mark Harmon’s career has had a lot of twists and turns and now he’s most identified with NCIS. Could you see yourself following that path?
Austin Stowell: “Absolutely. I see exactly why he so vehemently defends Gibbs. Playing Gibbs has made me a better person already. The writing of Gibbs, I can’t take any credit for that. Gina [Lucita Monreal] and David [J. North], every single script is like getting a self-help book. It’s like going to therapy. I’m learning about myself and so when I say this is a selfish act for me sometimes, I mean that in that I know that I’m getting better equate I’m portraying Gibbs.”
Is the narration a helpful part of that?
Austin Stowell: “Absolutely. The narration, particularly, is timeless. A person’s inner monologue, I don’t think, changes over time too much. You get older, you look in the mirror, geez, a couple more greys and I’ve got a few on my chin. But the inner dialogue, you feel like yourself. You’ve always been this person so the voice that you’re going to hear is the voice that’s always been in his head, and I think that will particularly ring true when the audience sees the adversity and the turmoil that emotionally, professionally, and personally the relationships in Gibbs’ life. You’ll see all of those things being challenged in such a way that it is captivating to watch. You’ll see that it’s a direct correlation.
The voice you’ll hear is talking to this guy. So, it’s that advice that will determine so much of the storyline. I’m being real particular with my words because I’ve been told not to talk about so many things.”
By the time of NCIS, Gibbs assembles his team. Is this more of a situation of him being thrown in with this team, even with Franks?
Austin Stowell: “This is day one with Gibbs. Franks helped him get this job, but in terms of the rest of the crew, that’s one guy. He’s got to fit in with everybody. This is somebody who’s already off balance, somebody who feels so unsure of himself. Trying to work out how he can even operate in a world, this is an office space all of a sudden. This is not a scout sniper who’s out on his own. This is somebody who has to be a part of a team, who has to learn how to operate under the rules of NIS, who has to leave behind his personal life, who has to put himself into a new job.
At the end of the day, it’s a job. When you start any new job, who’s this guy? Do we get along okay? It’s like, ‘Oh geez, the lighting in here is weird and I’m going to have to come to this office every single day. This is where I’m going to have to live out the rest…’ and it’s so great to correlate to me as an actor where I’m getting to know these guys. I’m getting to walk onto the sets for the first time so I’m just as lost as he is, but both finding our way.”
Are you prepared for how big it could be and what it could do for your career?
Austin Stowell: “I don’t think you’re ever prepared. No one can do that. Stardom is a weird word. You can see, I have an adverse reaction to that to begin with. It’s something that’s given to you. You couldn’t pay for it if you wanted to. People give that to you. If, at the end of the day, I get known for playing Gibbs, that means we’ve done something right. That means we’re touching people, that means they’re in it, that we’re bringing them some entertainment. I grew up as a kid watching film and television and emulating the characters that I saw on TV. If I can pass on that gift to somebody else and portray a character…”
Which characters did you emulate?
Austin Stowell: “Oh man, Indiana Jones and Frank Bullitt, Marty McFly, these were the guys I wanted to be like. Heck, Captain Quint. Strong characters that you wanted to take the good parts from. If I can pass on that gift to somebody else and say, ‘Yeah, I did this because I wanted to live my life a little bit better. I made that decision. I worked that much harder because of this thing that I saw on TV, which I know is a real opportunity. There is a real chance because it happened to me.’ So, if that happens to somebody else out there, that’s a life well lived.”
This post was last modified on February 20, 2025 4:05 pm