Leroy Jethro Gibbs may no longer be NCIS’ leading character, but CBS isn’t done exploring the character originally played by Mark Harmon for nearly 20 years. This fall, the prequel NCIS: Origins will wind the clock back to 1991 and follow Gibbs, played by Austin Stowell, joining what was then known as NIS, with Harmon involved as the narrator and an executive producer. The Origins cast also features Kyle Schmid as Mike Franks, Gibbs’ mentor and leader of the team stationed out of Camp Pendleton. With a little under two months to go until Origins debuts on the 2024 TV schedule, Schmid opened up about how far he’s gone to play the younger version of the character originally brought to life by Muse Watson.
In a conversation with TVLine, Schmid described the NCIS fandom as “unlike anything I’d ever been a part of,” but acknowledged that “as long as you play within the rules of specifics, it will allow you the freedom [as an actor] to do what you love individually.” A big part of that is Franks’ mustache, which Schmid noted is “very period” and important to have since he’s of the opinion that Watson’s Franks “kind of stayed” in 1991. But the Six and Big Sky alum decided to take things a step further and request something specific from the NCIS: Origins producers. He explained:
I convinced the producers to let me wear dark brown contacts because when you’re filling the shoes of somebody like Muse — not filling the shoes, but evoking — you want all of those things. If I look in the mirror and see Kyle Schmid when I’m about to walk out of my trailer, it’s not the same as looking in the mirror and seeing somebody completely different that you built from the ground up.
Muse Watson played Mike Franks in 20 episodes across NCIS Season 3-15, making him one of the show’s most notable recurring characters. Kyle Schmid probably could have gotten away with not wearing those contacts while shooting NCIS: Origins, with few, if any fans noticing. But he didn’t want to rest on his laurels and opted to go the extra mile to ensure that he resembled a younger Franks as much as possible. Schmid has also changed his speaking voice to ensure he sounds like Franks did on NCIS, with the actor adding:
Every single day from 7 o’clock in the morning when I arrive, to 6 pm, 8 pm, 10 pm when I leave, this is what I do. [In Mike Franks voice] I stay in character from the beginning of work to the end of work.
As we learned in NCIS, Mike Franks recruited Leroy Jethro Gibbs into NIS months after his first wife, Shannon, and their daughter, Kelly, were murdered by drug dealer Pedro Hernandez. Gibbs killed the drug dealer soon after, but as Schmid explained, Franks bringing him into the law enforcement agency “was an opportunity to give an incredibly talented young man a second chance after a broken heart.” We also know Franks retires from NIS in 1996 after taking issue with how the U.S. failed to prevent the Khobar Towers bombing, but assuming that NCIS: Origins can reach five seasons, then we can count on Schmid sticking around the show for that long.
Kyle Schmid and Austin Stowell’s costars in the NCIS: Origins main cast include Mariel Molino as Lala Dominguez, Tyla Abercrumbie as Mary Jo Sullivan and Diany Rodriguez as Vera Strickland, who was previously played by Roma Maffia. The prequel premieres Monday, October 14 immediately after NCIS Season 22. Use your Paramount+ subscription to stream all of the procedural franchise’s offerings.
