With NCIS: Origins getting ready to resume production later this month, series stars Austin Stowell and Kyle Schmid are going to have to give up their 2025 looks and get back into character as Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Mike Franks for the 1992-based series.
As soon as NCIS: Origins went on hiatus last spring, Austin took advantage of it by dying his hair blonde. He couldn’t do anything about the length, which was short from playing the NCIS agent, but it made him almost recognizable, which may have been the point.
But he wasn’t alone! Kyle also went incognito for the hiatus, shaving off the famous Franks’ mustache and cutting his hair short.
The two showed off their looks at the CBSFest in May, where Parade had the opportunity to speak to them on the carpet. Of course, no spoilers were revealed about the big cliffhanger: Did Lala (Mariel Molino) die in the car crash?
Season 1 of Origins was excellent in producing standalone episodes where each of the individual cast members had the opportunity to reveal backstory for their characters. And Austin did tell Parade he’s very much looking forward to more of that to come.
“There’s so much about Mark’s [Harmon] performance as Gibbs that is not what we’ve seen for the last 18 episodes,” he said. “He’s more jovial and has fun, I’d like to get into that a little bit more. And I really want to explore how we get closer to each other.”
The closer together refers to the bromance between Gibbs and Franks, who, as we know from the mothership NCIS, are ride or die buds.
“He’s done something for me, he saved my life,” Austin added. “He gave me a job and gave me a purpose, but there’s a reason that they are so close forever. Franks is in a rough spot at the end of this season because there’s this tape. If I owe him my life, I’m willing to do anything for this guy in order to protect him, and I wonder what that might be. And of course, we have an unfinished story, and I can’t wait to see where that goes.”
