Curious World Staff
It seems like only yesterday that we were learning the meaning of the acronym (Naval Cr1m1nal Investigative Service, of course!). We now can’t imagine our television lives without NCIS, which grew from two episodes of JAG in 2003 into its own juggernaut of twisty mysteries and beloved characters.
To commemorate the 450th episode of the series, which will air on February 27, we solicited fan questions for the actors and creative team. We learned a fun fact: At one point, producers hoped to have all of the living presidents make cameo appearances. “I figured I could get them in a card game,” executive producer Steven D. Binder explains. He had a contact who could ask one of the presidents directly, but it didn’t work out. “And if you can’t get the one, you don’t get any.” But wouldn’t that have been incredible? Continue reading for more fascinating information.
Getting Into Character
Was there something in the water at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company that prepared you, Billy Petersen (CSI: Cr1me Scene Investigation), and Gary Sinise (CSI: New York) to play distinct but equally memorable cr1me-fighting leaders? —polleny
Gary Cole (Alden Parker Special Agent): Ha! That appears to be a strange coincidence. To that list, you can add Joe Mantegna, another Chicagoan who appears on Cr1m1nal Minds. I’m not sure, but we all played a variety of characters on stage in Chicago. Perhaps it aided us in simply making scenes work.
What do you find most endearing about Jess? —Jhos
Katrina Law (Special Agent Jessica Knight): I love how when she gets nervous, Knight’s badass work persona dissolves into awkward quirkiness. It’s a lot of fun to play an agent with a soft, goofy side.
Time to clock in
What was your favorite day on set? —Jess From Oz
Rocky Carroll (NCIS Director Leon Vance): When Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench came to the set as my guest and played his entire career for my hometown Cincinnati Reds. He was and continues to be a huge fan of our show!
Diona Reasonover (Forensic Scientist Kasie Hines): I was a full-time cast member the day they announced it. They had to redo my makeup because I cried.
Brian Dietzen (Dr. Jimmy Palmer): When my son came to visit—I believe he was about 4 or 5 years old at the time—there was a full forest set built on the stage, and they could even make it snow on command. When I brought him in, his eyes lit up. On the way home, he told my wife, “Where Daddy works is magic.” Agreed.
Timothy McGee (Special Agent Sean Murry): It was magical saying goodbye to Gibbs [played by Mark Harmon]. It was heavy and beautiful to be in Alaska with Mark because I have had this incredible personal relationship with him for so many years, and then for me as McGee to have to feel this goodbye and loss—and to leave him in Alaska knowing he isn’t coming back—was heavy and beautiful.
Old acquaintances
Will we get to see Leroy Jethro Gibbs at least once more? —BrettsKnight
Binder: I don’t see how we don’t run into him again at some point. Gibbs has, in my opinion, advanced to a higher plane of existence for the time being, and I don’t want to place him in an Anchorage apartment or anywhere else. We left him smiling and happy on a river, and that’s the image I want people to have until we’re ready to blow that out of the water or embrace it in some way.
Office Relationships
Could we see a double date between T’n’T [Torres and Jane Tennant, played by Vanessa Lachey on NCIS: Hawai’i] and Knight in Shining Palmer? —Jhos
Valderrama, Wilmer (Special Agent Nick Torres) Absolutely! Unfortunately, I believe Jimmy Palmer will feel like a third wheel after dinner when Knight, Tennant, and Torres want to go to the firing range for dessert.
Will we see more intimate scenes between Jess and Jimmy? The chemistry between Katrina and Brian has been intense, and their relationship appears to be genuine. What is it about working together that makes these scenes so powerful? —Zibell
Dietzen: There will be more. When the idea of bringing these characters together was proposed, Katrina and I were eager to portray a healthy relationship. We haven’t had a nonsecretive interoffice romance on this show, which brings with it new challenges and stories. We always have a good time with these scenes because Katrina is a good friend and a fantastic actress.
Forecasting the Future
When is Jimmy’s wedding date? The Tasmanian Devil
Law: May 11, 2028—NCIS prefers a slow burn.
McGee got a taste of the director’s chair earlier this season. Do you think McGee will ever be the director of NCIS? — Monique
Murray: That was a lot of fun. It would be interesting to see what could happen, especially since we started the first season with McGee as a rookie. Take a look at how far he’s come.
Is there anything you’d like to see addressed in Kasie’s backstory? —Serena
Reasonover: I want Kasie to date! I can’t wait to see her in full-fledged palms-sweating crush mode.
Former Characters Are Honored
Can we get Wilmer to pay homage to his character Fez from That ’70s Show during an episode? I want to hear Torres with his trademark accent! —Zibell
Valderrama: I can tell you that there are a few Easter eggs this season in which I pay tribute to a dream sequence from That ’70s Show. As a result, the answer is yes! You’ll have to dig for it, but you’ll find it!
That was especially amusing when Parker was discussing “TPS” reports, as his Office Space character, Bill Lumbergh, did. Even better, they should have had him say, “That’d be great.” —Jerri
Cole: I think the writers did an excellent job. Actual Lumbergh quotes would not have been as amusing to me.
Reaching 450
How does the cast feel about reaching this landmark? I’ve been watching NCIS since I was five, so you’ve grown up with me. I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished together. Italy’s kisses. —Emma_ncis
Carroll: When we celebrated the show’s 200th episode [in 2012], Michael Weatherly joked that we were halfway to 400 episodes, and everyone in the room laughed. Nobody is laughing anymore!
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