MICHAEL WEATHERLY will be remembered as Agent Tony DiNozzo in NCIS, but not everyone in his family believed that the drama would be his ticket to success.
Michael Weatherly has been in the CBS legal drama Bull for the past six years, but before that, he was the charming Tony DiNozzo in NCIS for 13 years. Despite his absence, the police procedural is still running and will enter its 20th season in a few weeks. While NCIS has been a global success, not everyone agreed with the 54-year-old actor’s career choice.
Weatherly was previously known for his roles in Loving, The City, Jesse, Significant Others, and Dark Angel.
Weatherly was initially hesitant to participate in the CBS drama when it was first brought to his attention.
He wasn’t sure if a JAG spin-off was the right career move for him, and for a while, it didn’t appear that NCIS would be a success.
The drama was initially stigmatized because it was perceived as a typical cr1me drama.
Not every episode, especially in the early days, had the right ingredients to ensure its eventual success.
Weatherly even questioned his decision after one of his sisters dismissed NCIS entirely.
“Like my sister sampled one episode three years ago and she was like, ‘Yeah, it’s not really my thing,'” he explained to The Futon Critic in 2007.
“And I was like, ‘Oh, which one did you see?'” And then you feel terrible because you think to yourself, ‘No, no, that was a bad hair day.'”
“And it’s difficult,” Weatherly added. And the show gradually gains popularity through word of mouth, and we’re not taking ourselves seriously.
“And I think a show like JAG took itself more seriously, in the same way that a lot of procedural cr1me dramas on now have a sense of earnestness and it’s part and parcel of the genre…”
Will Weatherly is one of six siblings, including four half-sisters and one brother.
The NCIS star is related to a well-known Netflix star through one of his sisters.
Weatherly is the godfather and uncle of actress Alexandra Breckenridge.
She is best known for her role as Mel Monroe in the romantic drama Virgin River, which will return for a fifth season next year.
Breckenridge previously appeared in This Is Us as Sophie and The Walking D3ad as Jessie Anderson.
She also had a minor role in JAG in 2004, appearing in an episode as Petty Officer Jennifer Coates’ old cr1minal friend (played by Zoe McLellan).
Breckenridge and Weatherly rarely talk about their family history in public.
However, in 2008, she told Connecticut Magazine how he assisted her in the early stages of her career.
“He can commiserate with me about whatever problems I’m having, and he has a lot of really good advice,” she said.
“It’s wonderful to have a close family member who is also my godfather.”
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