Austin Stowell plays Leroy Gibbs in NCIS: Origins, a prequel show about the special agent’s backstory and formative years. Original Gibbs actor and series producer Mark Harmon explained why his son Sean didn’t reprise his role as the younger Gibbs.
The two-part premiere of NCIS: Origins aired this week, ushering in the NCIS franchise’s sixth installment. The new show offers a unique perspective because it revolves around a much younger Leroy Gibbs (played by Austin Stowell), the main protagonist of the original NCIS. Mark Harmon reprises the role but as a narrator journaling his early years at the Naval Investigative Service. Fans expected Harmon’s son Sean would reprise his role as younger Gibbs in NCIS: Origins; Sean Harmon played Gibbs in flashback scenes in the original series. Mark Harmon told Variety that Sean is still heavily involved in NCIS: Origins but behind the scenes.
“[Sean’s] an actor, writer, producer a surfer, he does a lot of things,” Harmon explained. “You have to come to decisions about what you want to do in life, or what you think’s important. I just think he made a choice and had to make a decision in some ways. He likes executive producing.” Harmon starred in the original NCIS for 19 seasons, while Sean appeared in seven episodes of that series. Both are now executive producers of NCIS: Origins. The premiere revealed Gibbs has always been stoic, even in the aftermath of his life-changing tragedy. Stowell proved perfect for the role, with Harmon seemingly passing the torch as voiceover to the story.
Austin Stowell Is Perfect Casting As Young Leroy Gibbs
Harmon told People that competition for the lead role in NCIS: Origins was intense, but they instantly knew Stowell was the one when he auditioned. “There were a lot of good people,” he recalled. “I would say that there were really few who drew the attention Austin did. I felt the room jump a little when Austin came in, before he said anything. … He walked out [after the audition] and someone said, ‘I’ll just say it — that’s a movie star.’ Stowell’s film credits include Whiplash, 12 Strong, and Bridge of Spies. He also played recurring roles in TV’s The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Catch-22, and Public Morals. The actor was cast to play Gibbs in March.
Stowell said he was drawn to audition because of the timeline of NCIS: Origins; the series is set in 1991, the year Gibbs’ family was murdered. “This is obviously so different from the version that NCIS fans have seen for 19 years and this wonderful character that Mark Harmon has created that does, of course, have this backstory and there’s moments of it, but this is a character who is living in that, who’s living in the grief, who’s living in the dark hole and trying to dig himself out of it,” he told TV Insider. Fans can expect more of Gibbs’ backstory to unfold as he takes on new cases that remind him of a very recent tragedy.
New episodes of NCIS: Origins air every Monday on CBS.