Austin Stowell had big shoes to fill when he took on the character of a young Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
The Dolphin Tale star stepped into Mark Harmon’s shoes last year, with the release of the NCIS prequel series NCIS: Origins, which gives viewers an intimate glimpse into Gibbs’ early days as a special agent, and the personal events that shaped his role on NCIS.
It was a role the West Wing alum took nearly 20 years of his life to, and with season two of the prequel series in the works, showrunners are focused on how to evolve young Gibbs to eventually reflect that.
Speaking with TVLine about when Austin’s version of Gibbs will start taking on a stronger leadership role, co-showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal said: “We’re inching our way there, definitely, in a way that we think is honest for the character.”
“I mean, just take the fact that in Season 1, we know Gibbs’ gut was churning a little bit about Bugs and thinking, ‘Maybe there’s more to this story?'” David noted, adding: “But Gibbs didn’t go down that path, he didn’t gnaw at Franks and say, ‘Hey, my gut…’ — and he learned in the end he was right.”
“Those are all stepping stones toward becoming the Gibbs that we met in 2003,” he emphasized, referring to the year Mark took on the character when NCIS first premiered.
Austin also recently spoke with Deadline about the role, admitting it’s still nerve-wracking playing a younger version of Mark’s character — but that he’s okay with that.
“I was scared for so many reasons,” he said, explaining: “There were just so many first times. For me, it was the first time doing a network TV show, first time playing a character that had already been portrayed before me, first time to be number one on a call sheet.”
“I’m someone who likes pressure; I like to be put in that situation. I want the ball in my hands at the bottom of the ninth. I feel like I do thrive in that situation,” he added.
However, he noted: “I don’t think I’ll ever quite get comfortable because, at the end of the day, Gibbs will always be Mark Harmon’s character, and I’m playing the younger version of that.”
Also speaking with CBS last year ahead of the series’ premiere, he confessed: “I felt very confident in what I could bring to the character, and then the second you walk in the room, that all goes out the window when you’re staring at the guy who has done it for 20 years,” referring to Mark.
He further shared: “You come in and audition here for years and years, and all of a sudden, you’re presented with a badge with your name on it,” of working on the iconic Paramount lot.
