Stepping into Mark Harmon’s shoes is no small feat, and the new NCIS: Origins lead knows it all too well. Taking on the role meant making some incredible sacrifices, because in this career, you have to be all in.
The actor’s dedication to honoring Harmon’s legacy while carving out their own path proves just how high the stakes are for this NCIS prequel.
Austin Stowell goes ‘all in’ to take over as Gibbs in NCIS: Origins
“This choice, this career, requires you to be all in.” That’s the mindset NCIS legend Mark Harmon drilled into Austin Stowell, the man stepping into young Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ shoes for NCIS: Origins. And Stowell took that lesson to heart — big time.
Showrunners David North and Gina Monreal knew Stowell was their guy the moment he walked into the audition. Monreal alluded (via Entertainment Weekly),
We just knew when Austin came in that he was Gibbs…He embodied it. His talent is limitless — his dedication to the role, studying Mark, studying the show — he has a similar leadership quality that Mark had on set that bleeds into Gibbs the character.
But there was one final test: impressing Harmon himself. For that, Stowell had to deliver in front of Harmon and his son, Sean. And after a little direction, Harmon hit him with some classic Gibbs wisdom. Stowell recalled,
At the end of the audition, after some direction from Mark, he said, ‘There you go. If I were you, I would just walk out of the room right now…So I just walked out of the room. I went back to Vermont and went back about my life.
Stowell listened — no overthinking, no second-guessing. He left. Back home in Vermont, he nearly missed the life-changing callback. His off-the-grid setup had him out of service just minutes before North and Monreal called to say, “Your life is about to change.”
And change it did. Stowell immediately got to work, overhauling his fitness and rewatching NCIS to embody Gibbs to the core. “You always have all of me,” he told the showrunners. He knows the weight of this role, and he’s putting in the work to honor it.
Harmon’s own words sum it up best: “Work your ass off, and don’t let the effort show.” Stowell’s on that same grind, ready to give NCIS fans something both fresh and familiar.
NCIS: Origins finale scoop: Pedro Hernandez returns to haunt Gibbs
Gibbs (Austin Stowell) thought he’d buried the past — literally. But in NCIS: Origins’ Season 1 finale, “Cecilia,” the murder of Pedro Hernandez resurfaces, forcing him to face the fallout. And just when he needs his team most, someone’s loyalty wavers. Tyla Abercrumbie alluded (via TVInsider),
Mary Jo’s story proves that the past comes back to move you or haunt you…In the case with Gibbs, the tease is it might be there to haunt him.
And for Gibbs? It’s looking like the latter. Abercrumbie teases that an unseen audition scene, where Mary Jo and Gibbs bond over loss, could finally make its way into the show. She shared,
I really loved the audition scene that we haven’t used in the 18 episodes…It’s a beautiful scene between Mary Jo and Gibbs, and it just allowed you to see these two people come together and understand each other and grow in [their] relationship. So I’m hoping that they get around to that point where — just like we got to see Mary Jo with Lala and Vera [Diany Rodriguez], I think we are going to eventually get to see a one-on-one with her with everyone.
With NCIS: Origins already renewed, this finale isn’t just closing a chapter — it’s setting the stage for what’s next. Buck up, Gibbs fans.
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