‘NCIS’: How Sean Murray Fakes One of McGee’s Primary Talents
Sean Murray has portrayed Agent Timothy McGee in NCIS virtually since the show’s inception. He appeared in season 1, episode 7, and the showrunners caught on to the actor’s chemistry with the rest of the cast, leading to a prolonged role and a fully fleshed-out character arc. Murray has gone from the wee trainee — a tech wiz alone — to the confident field agent who still boasts his computer skills.
After all these years, nearly two decades on the series, one would think that Murray has come to acquire some of McGee’s talents. Yet, Murray still has to fake one of McGee’s primary abilities.
Sean Murray is not the greatest typist
McGee taps away at the keyboard quickly and with conviction — always knowing exactly what keys to press, and how to get the job done rapidly, so the team can act immediately. Yet, Murray is not the best typist. He explained to Forbes:
My big secret is that I just type my name over and over and over on the keyboard. I know how to type my name pretty well, so I try to stick to that. I’m an awful typist. I type slowly using two fingers on each hand.
Sean Murray via Forbes
There seems to be a reason that the camera rarely tends to linger over Mcgee’s fingers when he’s typing away — viewers might catch on to the fact that the actor simply types the same string of letters repeatedly. As the character has developed, he spends less time behind the computer, which Murray is presumably grateful for.
Sean Murray on McGee’s character growth in ‘NCIS’
In addition to leaving the keyboard behind every now and again, McGee has developed drastically since the start of the show. Speaking on behalf of his character’s growth, Murray explained:
At the beginning of the show McGee started as rookie agent. As the show progressed, we’ve seen him grow from sort of a bumbling, socially awkward mess to someone who can lead investigations and has been given a lot of responsibility. This year, he stepped into this role of senior agent. He has to find strength in order to fulfill that role.
Sean Murray via Forbes
Murray has been able to enjoy his character’s journey, transforming throughout time to fit the show’s needs. With Weatherly’s DiNozzo no longer in the picture, Murray’s character has become Gibbs’ second in command. And, though rumors often surface suggesting that Murray is departing the show, no hard evidence confirming such exists.
