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Mark Harmon is famous for his role as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS — but that’s far from the only role he played. In the ’70s and ’80s, Harmon started to act in TV shows and movies. He went on to play Freddy Shoop in the 1987 film Summer School. While Harmon might reflect fondly on the role of Freddy Shoop now, he recalled how his wife didn’t want him to take the part.

‘NCIS’ star Mark Harmon said his wife told him not to take this film role

Mark Harmon made the right choice to take the role of Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS in 2003. The part launched Harmon to superstardom. Now, he’s a household name for CBS viewers. But NCIS isn’t the only production Harmon participated in. Over a decade before he accepted the role of Gibbs, Harmon played Freddy Shoop in Summer School.

Summer School came up while Harmon spoke to Kelly Clarkson on The Kelly Clarkson Show in November 2023. Harmon revealed that his wife told him not to take the role.

“I was just so thrilled that Carl Reiner was interested in me to play this part,” Harmon told Clarkson. “And then my wife read the script at the same time and said, ‘Don’t go near this. Don’t do this.'”

The comedy involves Harmon’s character playing a gym teacher who gets roped into teaching English class to misfits in summer school. He noted to Clarkson that he and his wife, Pam Dawber, have different tastes regarding roles they’re interested in playing, as she also acts.

“We have very different opinions of material and things like that, which is healthy,” Harmon noted. “But I just said, ‘He thinks I can do this. So, I’m gonna do it. So, I went and did it.”

“All those people were young and just starting out at that time, right?” Harmon added while speaking about the film. “So, those kids were all over 30 when they were playing high school kids. Every one of them had an idea after every scene. ‘Hey, Carl, hey, Carl, hey, Carl, can I do this?’ And he’d go, ‘Ha ha ha! No.'”

Pam Dawber and Mark Harmon dressed in fancy clothing at an event
Mark Harmon and his wife, Pam Dawber | Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
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Harmon explained what drew him to play the character of Freddy Shoop

While Mark Harmon will forever be known for his role in NCIS, Freddy Shoop in Summer School holds a special place in his heart. In 1987, Harmon spoke about what drew him to playing Mr. Shoop.

“The thing I like the best about comedy is it’s relationship comedy,” Harmon explained to the interviewer, according to The Bobby Wygant Archive. “It’s the fact that, at the end, not everybody wins. You know, they improve. And that’s the important thing. … I think that’s part of the reason that I was attracted to this is it seemed like a very real story to me wrapped into what it is. And I know that’s part of the reason Carl Reiner liked it, the fact that it isn’t all tied up in a nice little bow in the end.”

Ultimately, we’re happy Harmon took the role in Summer School. The iconic comedy lives in our ’80s-loving hearts. We imagine his wife came around to it later.

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