Mark Harmon on Why Austin Stowell Is the Perfect Young Gibbs for 'NCIS: Origins'

To date, two actors have played NCIS’ Leroy Jethro Gibbs: Mark Harmon , who played the role for 18+ years, and his son Sean Harmon , who played the young Gibbs whenever the series called for flashbacks to relate Gibbs' backstory.

Now, there’s about to be a third take on Gibbs set in the year 1991 when Austin Stowell takes over the role on NCIS: Origins. The spinoff series premieres Monday, Oct. 14 as part of CBS' fall lineup, and Stowell has released a first-look photo at his portrayal of the U.S. Marine Corps sniper as he becomes an NCIS agent.

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With the image, Stowell wrote: “Cannot WAIT to share what we’re working on.💥 #NCISOrigins @NCISverse @CBStv ”

Harmon, who will narrate the prequel series and also serve as an executive producer, took part in the casting, which he spoke to following the Television Critics Association press tour this July. He told Parade what he had been looking for in an actor to play the role he had made famous.

“I always thought there was a calm that was important,” Harmon said. “It’s a lot for an actor to come into a room with that kind of a burden of a load to try to say, ‘Can I physically look like that person? Can I be that person?’ I thought Austin just was himself.”

Related: Mark Harmon on Leaving Gibbs Behind on NCIS and His Return for Origins

It wasn’t just Harmon who saw something special in Stowell, but executive producer and co-showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal as well.

“He walked out of the room, and she said, ‘That guy is a star.’” Harmon continued. “That’s what she said. The truth of it is he lit the room. You’re in a room for a long time with people coming in one after another and you just go with an instinct. That’s what we’ve done.”

Monreal elaborates, “What I was excited about was the fact that he had the core of what I think Gibbs is, which is this broken character but also this immense strength. I feel like that's really a difficult balance to achieve, and I think Austin does that.”

Monreal and her co-showrunner and executive producer David J. North conducted a long and exhaustive search for the right actor to play the role and for good reason.

“This character means so much to the world,” said North, who previously wrote for NCIS as did Monreal . “And, honestly, so much to us. At times, you're watching people, and something didn't feel right. But Mark, he made his opinions known, certainly, but at the same time, he really told us to trust ourselves and what we wanted to do. And, luckily, Austin came along.”

Related: Who's in the Season 1 Cast of NCIS: Origins

The idea for NCIS: Origins was the brainchild of Sean Harmon, who, as mentioned, played the younger Gibbs when the mothership would do flashback stories to explain his backstory. But Sean decided he didn’t want to star in the series.

“It has been an absolute honor to have stepped into the role and essentially to play a character my dad created over so many years, and it will always be something I hold close to my heart,” Sean said. “But it was, in truth, something I never really figured I wanted to make a career out of. I have a lot of stories to tell. And I'm absolutely jazzed to be stepping into an executive producing role and working with my dad in a different way and, obviously, David and Gina, who are the absolute best. I mean, we couldn't ask for a better team on this. As far as casting Austin, to be in that audition room when he walked in there and to feel his talent and professionalism, as well as [the fact] he is a natural leader, and he is, on top of it, he's just a great guy. ”

As for how Stowell developed his winning performance, he said, "I didn't get a chance to talk to Mark before my very first audition, and so I was going off of what was on the page. I had this incredible roadmap in front of me that David and Gina had written. There were these really rich complex scenes that I was able to dive into. This is a Gibbs that is dealing with the loss of his wife and child. This is not the Gibbs that the world knows right now, the team leader who's always so put together. This is somebody who's broken. This is somebody who's searching for his identity, trying to find himself and ground himself back in the world. It wasn't until I got in the room for my screen test that Mark came up to me and said two words that I'll remember forever, and he just said, 'Trust yourself.'”

Related: NCIS: Origins Casts the Role of Young Mike Franks

NCIS: Origins will begin in 1991 when Leroy Jethro Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks ( Kyle Schmid ).

As for how it’s going so far, Harmon thinks they’re doing well and hopes the series gets a back nine, which should take it to 22 episodes for Season 1.

“It’s early, guys,” he said. “All I can tell you is this is a tough business and most of them don’t make it. We’ve got a shot here and I’m thrilled about this cast and thrilled about working with David and Gina. They’re as good as it ever got in 20-some odd years with creative on NCIS."

NCIS: Origins will premiere on Monday, Oct. 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

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