Mark Harmon Recalls Casting Austin Stowell asNCIS: Origins’ Young Leroy Gibbs: ‘That’s a Movie Star’ (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Austin Stowell and Mark Harmon on May 2.Photo:Monica Schipper/Getty

Monica Schipper/Getty

“I felt the room jump a little when Austin came in, before he said anything,” Harmon tells PEOPLE ofAustin Stowell, the actor playing a 1991-era Gibbs in the new spin-off (premiering Monday, Oct. 14).

After his audition, recalls Harmon, “He walked out and someone said, ‘I’ll just say it, that’s a movie star.’”

The 73-year-oldformer Sexiest Man Aliveis involved inOriginsas well, as both executive producer and narrator — andappears in the premiere episode. It marks Harmon’s first reappearance as Gibbs since his departure fromNCISin 2021.

Austin Stowell on ‘NCIS: Origins’.CBS

CBS

“There was heavy competition there,” recalls Harmon of the other actors in contention for the role. “There were a lot of good people. I would say that there were really few who drew the attention Austin did.”

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Austin Stowell on ‘NCIS: Origins’.Greg Gayne/CBS

Greg Gayne/CBS

In fact, he adds, “I can say that about any role that was cast in this show, because they all came in one after another. We got everybody we wanted.”

Stowell has nothing but praise for Harmon and hisOriginscostars and crew. “I like that responsibility,” he says, of leading a show that keeps a team employed in Hollywood. “It gives me great purpose. I don’t just go to work for me, I go to work with everyone. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime. I love it.”

Mark Harmon on ‘NCIS’ in 2003.CBS

Plus, he adds, “The fact that I know that there’s 300 million [NCISfans] out there who are waiting to see what this is only makes me fight harder and make me want to fulfill their expectations.”

NCIS: Originspremieres Monday, Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. Episodes will also stream on Paramount+.

source: people.com