NCIS stars Michael Weatherly and Mark Harmon worked together on the hit show from 2003 to 2016 - when Michael left the drama - and although the pair appear to have a lot of respect for each other now, it wasn’t all smooth sailing at the beginning. Find out more…
Back in 2020, Michael revealed that he and his co-star weren’t always close. In an interview, he explained that they were coming to the show from very different places, with Mark giving him a “look” when he joked about his rubber gun and fake badge during an interview.
He explained to The Futon Critic: “Mark Harmon and I were on different poles. I was Antarctica, he was the North Pole and we were just looking down there going, 'What is up with your polarity? What’s going on? The water goes down the drain the other way for me.’"
He added: “And he was confused by my presence right from the get-go. When CNN Showbiz Today or one of those things asked what was the best part about doing the pilot when we were doing the upfronts, I said, 'I got a rubber gun and I got a fake badge.’”
Discussing Mark’s response to his joke, Michael explained: “Harmon looked at me like, 'That is your CNN answer?' [Laughs.] And I was like a little kid who had one too many bowls of Count Chocula."
After becoming the lead in the show Bull, everything changed for Michael, and he opened up about finally understanding Mark’s stance on the show after becoming a leading man himself, admitting that the experience was “illuminating”.
He said: “It’s been very illuminating and given me a great deal of insight and regard for what Mark Harmon was doing all those years. When I was like, ‘How come he doesn’t have as much fun as the rest of us?’" He also explained that he learned a lot from his co-star.
Michael previously hinted that he might return to NCIS one day. In a reply to a fan, who wrote: “We all would rather look at you and Ziva reuniting and enjoying that moment," he replied: "Stay tuned… for this might be an interesting year for such ‘moments’!" We certainly hope so!
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Meanwhile, Mark left the show back in 2021, and previously opened up on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert about why he believed it was so successful. “We were out in Hollywood, working late, 9.30 at night, 95 per cent of the cast working, and we all got together and went out to dinner.
“You’ve got a bunch of people there who love their job, and there’s a responsibility in that, there has been over a number of years, you work with these people every day and it only works when people want to be there. I’m proud of being there for 17 years but more proud of the crew.”
Discussing the lovely interview, one person wrote: “Says a lot about the chemistry between the cast when he says the best moment wasn’t on set but when they all sat down and a meal, it’s such a simple thing and I love it,” while another added: “I adore Mark Harmon. Grounded, principled, and an incredible husband. Can't ask for more.”
More snaps of Michael's time on NCIS
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