Austin Stowell traces Mark Harmon's tracks for 'NCIS: Origins'

LOS ANGELES — Before he started filming “NCIS: Origins,” actor Austin Stowell did a deep dive into the original series.

He watched countless episodes and paid attention to the way original star Mark Harmon phrased things.

“Mark created a very specific cadence with Gibbs,” he says of the lead character. “When they look at this younger version, they (should see) glimmers of him. I know that I will never be Mark Harmon, but I’m giving it my best shot.”

Words Stowell says in the new series sound like they came from Harmon’s mouth. Even better, producers say, Stowell wears contact lenses to approximate Harmon’s eye color.

The goal is to recreate the world that began decades ago with “NCIS.” A star of the original series since 2003, Harmon stepped away after the 19th season but agreed to be an executive producer on “Origins,” helping Stowell and others capture those early years.

“It wasn’t so much a decision to leave as it was maybe just the right timing to push away a little bit,” Harmon says. “NCIS: Origins” “was a new story to tell. It’s 1990 Camp Pendleton, so why not?”

Stowell, who starred in “Bridge of Spies,” the TV version of “Catch-22” and “The Hating Game,” was eager for the challenge. “Every single script is like getting a self-help book,” he says. “It’s like going to therapy and learning about myself.”

NCIS: Origins -- Mark Harmon — Mark Harmon

Harmon, who handles the show’s narration, created a template for the character, Stowell says. “There’s a whole world that’s hidden. A lot of us don’t talk about the trauma of our past, particularly with our co-workers, but it’s what makes us us. So, in terms of the character work, you’re going to see Gibbs go through the trauma of having to lose a wife and a child the way he does and then to come back and become the man that you know that he is 20 years down the line. That journey is one I think people are going to be really interested in seeing.”

To help envision that world, the “Origins’” set is filled with old computers, ashtrays, telephones and video games. Its rec room has soda flavors from the past; its evidence room has office supplies that have long since been abandoned. It is, in many ways, like stepping back in time.

“This is a whole different feel,” Harmon says. “The offices are Quonset huts and barracks. It was always interesting to me. When I first heard about ‘NCIS,’ I tried to look it up online. You couldn’t find anything. And now if you go online, you might get 200 pages and 199 of them are going to be on the show. In some ways, this TV show has joined hands with the real agency. It’s our job to bring an audience to that.”

Sean Harmon, Mark’s son and an executive producer of “Origins,” played Leroy Jethro Gibbs in a flashback episode of “NCIS.” “It will always be something I hold close to my heart,” he says. “But it was, in truth, something I never really figured I wanted to make a career out of.”

Casting Stowell, he adds, was a no-brainer. He had the talent, professionalism and leadership qualities to make “Origins” work.

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When Sean Harmon was exploring the role, he was reminded of something his father said – “he’s a guy who’s got something broken inside, a guy who, at one point in his life, is very much at risk of going down a much darker path.”

“That got me thinking,” Sean Harmon adds. “The man you all know from the mothership series is essentially a guy who’s had 30 years to come to terms with some serious trauma. But that guy in the middle is a very interesting character.” He pitched the concept of “Origins” to his father, “and now here we are.”

Like dad, he was impressed with Stowell when he auditioned.

“I made some creative choices for a long time that maybe would have steered me away from this project,” Stowell says. “And when this came along, I was easily convinced that it was the right choice. Since that day, I’ve done nothing but prove myself over and over and over again.”

After the first week of shooting, he adds, “I cannot tell you how lucky I feel. We can bring humor and escapism into the homes of Americans and across the world. That’s not something that comes along every day and I am supremely aware of that and grateful for every moment.”

Stowell’s attention to detail was concerted. “I wanted to make sure that the fans who love this guy, who have studied him for 19 seasons, see glimmers of him because I know I will be judged. I will never be Mark Harmon, but I can absolutely tell everyone that I’m giving it my best shot.”