The cast and crew of NCIS: Los Angeles finished filming last week after 14 years together, and star Chris O’Donnell is having difficulty saying goodbye.
On Friday, March 3, O’Donnell and the rest of the cast gathered for one last time for a massive cast party to celebrate their successful run on prime-time television. After the series’ production wrapped, everyone involved gathered for drinks, music, and speeches before moving on to the next stage of their careers.
O’Donnell, who has been with the show since its inception in 2009, was in attendance. And, as he told ET Canada’s Keshia Chanté, the experience was “emotionally overwhelming.”
“I was more emotional than I expected two nights ago when we wrapped up,” he said during the party’s red carpet walk. “It was a strange feeling, coming to the set for the last time. But it all comes back when it’s final-final and you say goodbye.”
“You realize there are too many people in the room to say goodbye to,” continued O’Donnell. “There are too many people to express your feelings about. It’s just been a lot of shared experiences, and a lot of time spent with a group of people. For 14 years, it’s been intense.”
The Series Finale of ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ Has Been Postponed
When asked how he handled the situation, he admitted he failed miserably. O’Donnell was so overwhelmed that he “couldn’t speak,” but he recognized that this was a normal reaction when leaving so many close friends behind.
“I was having difficulty forming words. And I believe that is healthy,” he added. “I think it’s fine. I adore this entire crew, the cast, and everyone with whom we collaborate. It’s extremely difficult to make one of these shows work. And when you find one that works, and the rhythm that we had, it was like magic in a bottle, and I think we all feel very blessed, fortunate, and thankful.”
NCIS: Los Angeles is the procedural’s second longest-running show. Only the original series, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, comes close.
While the series finale of LA was originally scheduled to air on May 14th, CBS recently announced that it has been expanded into a two-hour event. To accommodate, the network rescheduled the episode for May 21.
Related News – Be sure to get some more news when it comes to NCIS.