Actor Mark Harmon truly believes that there must be “respect” shown on any set, especially the one for his CBS show “NCIS.”
Harmon, who plays Jethro Gibbs on the crime drama, talked about it during a 2014 interview with late talk-show host Larry King.
When King asked if everyone needed to like one another for a show to work, Harmon said, “Everyone has to respect each other.”
“Now I don’t know if like, it’s important, but respect is important,” he said. “You have to try and get along.”
Harmon has been playing Gibbs on “NCIS” since the show first started in 2003. The latest season finale leaves fans of the show in a lurch about Gibbs after his boat exploded.
By the way, Harmon does have some experience in being in environments where getting along matters.
He played quarterback at UCLA during his college years. As the starting QB, you have to do your best to get along with teammates and coaches alike. Harmon had success back in the 1990s as a star on “St. Elsewhere” on NBC.
Despite Athletic Background, ‘NCIS’ Star Never Does His Own Stunts
Now we mentioned that Harmon played college football. So he does have some athleticism in his background. Yet when it comes to doing his own stunts on “NCIS,” then forget about it.
Harmon gives a reason for declining to do them during a 2018 interview with Rich Eisen on The Rich Eisen Show.
“No, there’s a thing called stuntmen,” Harmon said. “They’re really good at what they do. So I’m really eager to step aside and let them do their job.”
“You took your hits in Westwood or Pasadena,” Eisen said. “It’s not even that,” Harmon replied. “I look at it like it’s taking a job away from someone else so I don’t take people’s jobs.”
For TV Series To Have Longevity, Actor Points Toward Having Core Group
One of the things that people know about “NCIS” is that the main show has been around for a long, long time. In fact, it’s been in the CBS lineup since 2003. The show has had spinoffs including “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “NCIS: New Orleans.”
Harmon identifies a reason for the show’s success and longevity during his interview with King.
“I think as long as you keep the creative group together, Larry … there are four actors that have been there from the very beginning,” Harmon said in this interview from 2014. “There’s certainly a core principle of this show both creatively and behind the camera.”
At the time, those four actors were himself, Pauley Perrette, David McCallum, and Sean Murray. Perrette left the show after 15 seasons in 2018.
