Austin Stowell is now one of the most important pieces of NCIS: Origins, but his journey to becoming Gibbs almost ended before it began.
The actor recently admitted that when the NCIS: Origins script first arrived, he wasn’t interested in taking it. In fact, his first response was to delete the email.
It wasn’t because he disliked Gibbs. It wasn’t because he was intimidated by following Mark Harmon. His hesitation came from something surprisingly ordinary: he didn’t want to commit to network television.
Coming out of the Hollywood strikes, Stowell was hoping to focus on films. He had been saying no to network TV for years because he was uncomfortable with the idea of being tied to one show for an extended period.
His concern was simple. He didn’t know who he would be working with for all those years.
That uncertainty made the idea of joining a long-running franchise feel risky. A television series requires actors to spend months together every year, often for multiple seasons. If the working relationship isn’t right, there is no easy escape.
So Stowell said no.
But NCIS: Origins co-showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal didn’t give up. They insisted on meeting him and eventually convinced him to get on a call.
That conversation became the turning point.
As Stowell listened to North and Monreal explain their interpretation of Gibbs, something clicked. He began to understand why he could be right for the character—and why the role was arriving at the right moment in his own life.
He changed his mind.
The decision gave Stowell the chance to tackle one of television’s most recognizable characters. Gibbs had been closely associated with Mark Harmon for years, making the younger version a role that came with enormous expectations.
But NCIS: Origins isn’t simply recreating the Gibbs audiences already know. The prequel allows viewers to see a different period of his life and understand how the character developed into the man Harmon portrayed for years.
Now Stowell is heading into Season 3, and the stakes are getting higher.
Mark Harmon will return as Gibbs, appearing on-screen throughout the season. The upcoming story will also move between the present day and the 1990s, adding another dimension to the show’s exploration of Gibbs’ history.
The return of Harmon has naturally raised questions about how closely Origins might connect with the flagship NCIS. For fans, the possibility of seeing the two eras interact is one of the most intriguing elements of the new season.
Meanwhile, Stowell has already made the role his own.
It is perhaps the funniest part of his story that the actor who once worried about committing to a television show is now returning for another season as Gibbs. What began with an email he almost deleted has turned into a major role in one of television’s most enduring franchises.
NCIS: Origins returns to CBS on October 6, with Season 3 continuing the story of the young Gibbs.
