How Mark Harmon’s Son Inspired ‘NCIS Origins’
NCIS will soon be taking a deep dive into Mark Harmon’s Leroy Gibbs with the prequel series Origins. His son Sean Harmon, however, was the one who planted the seeds for this new NCIS project.
Sean Harmon thought it’d be fascinating to explore a younger Leroy Gibbs
Sean Harmon has been a part of NCIS for so long that it runs in his blood. He portrayed a younger version of his father’s iconic character in a couple of episodes of NCIS. He’ll also be executive producing NCIS Origins alongside his father. But Sean might’ve also served as the main driver for Origins, as he was the one who came up with the idea.
“I believe that very few people are actually ‘born leaders’ and are instead forged into them, and Gibbs is no exception,” Sean told TV Insider. “Digging into the backstory of ‘the boss’ seemed like a good opportunity to find out why Gibbs turned out the way he did and who was around to influence him on that journey.”
In a separate interview with ET, however, Sean gave his father the lion’s share of the credit forOrigins’ inception.
“I like to think he [Mark] made me the man I am today. None of this is possible without this character. NCIS has been a huge part of my life as well … just getting a chance to tell this story that we’re telling here is pretty special,” Sean said.
But unlike in previous NCIS episodes, Austin Stowell will be the one to play the younger Gibbs this time. Stowell has already met with Harmon to help prepare himself for the role of a lifetime.
“Mark Harmon has done a job that actors dream to do. He’s captured the world and so that is just slightly daunting,” Stowell said. “But getting to know Mark has really been paramount to me stepping into these shoes and trying to fill them.”
Harmon simply advised Stowell to trust himself.
Why Sean Harmon isn’t playing a younger Leroy Gibbs
Although Sean portrayed the younger Leroy Gibbs, he was perfectly fine to step aside and let Stowell make the role his. It wasn’t a problem for Sean, who didn’t see himself spending his professional life playing his father’s character, anyway.
“It was an absolute honor to step into the role; it will always be something I’ll hold close to my heart,” Sean told USA Today. “In truth, I never intended to make a career out of it.”
The older Harmon is also more than willing to let his younger counterpart shine. Although he’ll be off-screen, Harmon will be narrating Origins, essentially serving as the voice of the show. This allows Harmon to still be a part of NCIS while enjoying his retirement.
“I’m fine with the stepback role and [to] let the [new] cast do the work,” Harmon said. “I’m pleased to be part of it. I’m a distant part. I’m just here to support.”
What fans can expect from Leroy Gibbs in ‘NCIS: Origins’
Gibbs won’t only be younger in Origins. Longtime fans can expect a much darker, more troubled Gibbs, which makes sense. The series would take place years before Gibbs would be the calmer and wiser leader that his team would follow.
Harmon also noted that Origins would take place at a time that hasn’t been covered in NCIS. NCIS has had several flashbacks over the course of its run that covered many different time periods. But Harmon brought up how the year 1990 has gone untouched by the show’s lore.
“But it’s the 1990s. It’s a different time. The show’s going to be different. The cast we got is different and it feels good at this moment, but we still have a lot of work to do. So we’ll see when it comes out and you’ll be the first one to say whether it works or doesn’t,” Harmon said.
