If you watched NCIS in the years when Michael Weatherly was a member of the main cast (and if you missed that era, you can stream those episodes with a Paramount+ subscription), you’ll remember that his character, Tony DiNozzo, would frequently make movie references. His cinephile interests were often a source of humor, but when looking back at the very first episode of NCIS, you’ll notice that Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs drops a very DiNozzo-ish movie reference in the midst of a high-profile investigation.
More 20 years later after that airing, Weatherly has shared his take on why movie references became a core part of Tony’s characterization instead, as well as explained why he decided to do “the opposite” of Harmon with his performance.
Why Michael Weatherly Thinks Tony Inherited The Movie References From Gibbs
“Yankee White,” which was paid tribute to earlier this year in the NCIS franchise’s 1,000th episode, saw Gibbs, Tony and Ducky Mallard boarding Air Force One and working with Secret Service agent Cailtin Todd to solve the murder of a Navy commander tasked with carrying the nuclear football. Upon boarding the President of the United States’ plane, Gibbs made a reference to Harrison Ford in 1997’s Air Force One. Which, let’s be real, any proper cinephile would do, too.
The popular CBS show’s debut episode was discussed on Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch when hosts Michael Weatherly and Ziva David actress Cote de Pablo were chatting with Sean Murray, who’s about to break a cool record in Season 22 thanks to his continuing run as Timothy McGee. Here’s what Weatherly had to say the movie references being shifted from one character to another:
… In the very first episode, Harmon was making movie references. And then that shifted to where DiNozzo started doing the movie references because Mark… I can't speak for him, but it felt like he didn't want to do that throwaway humor because Gibbs was like this [makes straight hand motion]. And I started to see what Mark was pulling from his true character as a very formidable man and as somebody who is earnest and has a singular focus and isn't silly. Mark's not a silly human.
That’s an astute and likely accurate observation. While there were a handful of humorous moments involving Gibbs from the start of the series until Mark Harmon left early into Season 19, Gibbs himself wasn’t know to tell jokes or say something to lighten a moment. Per Weatherly, that’s reflective of Harmon’s real life personality too, so it makes sense that the writers decided to have Tony drop the movie references instead.
I’ll also point out that Gibbs isn’t someone who keeps up with modern pop culture and technology. This was best demonstrated by him continuing to use flip phones even after smartphones became commonplace, but most often all he’d watch on his old TV were black and white Westerns or war movies. A man like that isn’t going to frequently reference cinematic entertainment in everyday conversation.
How Michael Weatherly Did The Opposite Of Mark Harmon When Filming Scenes
Later on in the podcast episode, Michael Weatherly discussed how as he further developed Tony DiNozzo beyond the initial 10-page email he wrote following his JAG debut, he decided to take an “opposite” approach when performing his character opposite Mark Harmon’s Gibbs. As he explained:
Whatever Mark did, I would do the opposite. So I would watch him in blocking. If he's wearing a jacket, I'd take my jacket off. If he's sitting forward, I'm leaning back. Whatever it was. And then he would slap my head, and I would say ‘Thank you’ or ‘It’s good that you're back, boss.’ ‘I should have seen that coming’ or whatever. But it was never like, if he fucking punches me one more time, I'm gonna knock his… there was never a reaction.
This creative choice paid off big time and was a key component in the comedic dynamic Tony had with Gibbs. That all came to an end when Michael Weatherly departed NCIS at the end of Season 13, but he did make a surprise appearance in Season 21’s “The Stories We Leave Behind,” I.e. the Ducky tribute episode. Now he and Cote de Pablo are in the midst of filming their Paramount+-exclusive spinoff, NCIS: Tony & Ziva.
Looking to the months ahead, both NCIS Season 22 and the new, Gibbs-focused prequel NCIS: Origins will both premiere on CBS Monday, October 14 on the 2024 TV schedule. NCIS: Sydney is also returning for a second season, although like NCIS: Tony & Ziva, it doesn’t have a release date yet.
