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Post by llyan on Sept 26, 2017 15:11:48 GMT
Since Parade has been publishing a lot of articles, here's the place for them.
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Post by llyan on Sept 26, 2017 15:18:11 GMT
NCIS Star Emily Wickersham on Gibbs and McGee Missing, Taking Charge, the New Cast Member, and More Since CBS released photos of Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and Special Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) alive but not well for the return of Season 15 of NCIS, we know that they are not dead, but still in peril after being captured by Paraguayan rebels.
They have been imprisoned for two months, and the NCIS team back in Washington, D.C. is searching non-stop for the missing agents. The matter is so serious that NCIS Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) and Special Agent Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) are called to congress for a special hearing, because the NCIS team had been in Paraguay in the first place without jurisdiction. They went in to find a missing Navy SEAL, and instead got involved in rescuing children who had been abducted by the rebels in order to turn them into soldiers.
Meanwhile back in Washington, Ellie Bishop (Emily Wickersham) has to take charge of the team since crime hasn’t gone on hiatus in Gibbs and McGee’s absence. And, interestingly, the case that she has to handle involves dangerous goods being smuggled in from Paraguay.
In an exclusive interview with Parade.com, Wickersham spoke about how Bishop is handling things, why Alex Quinn (Jennifer Esposito) left, Maria Bello joining the cast, what she’d like to see happen for Bishop this season, and more. Then watch the video below for a sneak peek at Torres in action.
With Gibbs and McGee missing, Bishop is actually the senior agent. How is she handling that?
It is interesting because it is a much more authoritative position than Bishop has ever been in at NCIS, especially playing the “Gibbs” role, so there is a lot on her shoulders. I think she is stressed out because two of their agents and friends are missing, but also stressed from the amount of work and the search you see at the beginning and throughout the episode for our guys.
What can you say about the search for Gibbs and McGee?
I don’t really know. I know in the finale that Torres was forced to take a helicopter with the children that they were able to rescue from rebels in Paraguay. Gibbs and McGee were left there. Months have gone by and we are scrambling to find them. The team is on a crazy hunt for them the entire time.
How does Torres react to having her as his boss when he actually has more field experience than she does?
He does have more field experience but everyone works at NCIS as a team, and I think he is okay with it. He is quite supportive and, I think, the main focus for Torres and all the other agents is finding Gibbs and McGee.
I am sure Torres must have a little bit of guilt, having been the one to get out of Paraguay.
Right. I would imagine he feels very guilty about that, which makes him search for them in a more intense and vigorous way.
Will we hear in the first episode what has happened to Alex Quinn, why she left?
What we know is that she went to take care of her mother. In the last episode, she was taking care of her mother and that continues over. We touch on that for sure.
Maria Bello is joining the cast as a a forensic psychologist. Tell me about her character and the role she plays?
So far, Maria and I — her character is Jacqueline Sloane and she goes by Jack Sloane — and what we’re filming is that Bishop has just met her an episode ago. We don’t know that much about her yet but, I can tell you, she is super cool and it is awesome to have her in the squad room.
She and Gibbs have this very interesting dynamic that I find myself intrigued by.
She is actually in the squad room? I had heard her office was upstairs.
Her office is upstairs, but she does come down to the squad room because she is involved.
What would you like to see for Ellie?
Bishop has gone through a lot relationship wise [Note: For newcomers to the story, her husband cheated on her; and then her boyfriend, was killed as a result of a case]. Things have been quite tough for her. In this season, I would love to touch upon that and get more of a glimpse into her personal life and how she is dealing with all this. How she can have a job and deal with this huge emotional experience that has happened for her and still maintain a job at NCIS and still be as professional as she is. I would like to explore a little bit of her life outside NCIS.
But then at NCIS, I would like to explore her ongoing friendship with Torres, and the new dynamic with Sloane will be interesting. I am super curious about that.
When Ellie started, she had a bunch of quirks. It seems as if those have gone by the wayside.
I think that Bishop has evolved in a lot of ways and, for me, I have made a conscious effort to have Bishop evolve. She has been very smart from day one. She is very mature. Very with it, but when she started out, Bishop wasn’t a team player and didn’t know how to do that thing. In terms of the quirks, those really came out when you put her side-by-side with the team. It was a fun thing but they’ve dropped it. She’s become a pro at being an NCIS agent. She hasn’t totally conformed. She still does things her own way, but she’s matured and she’s not as quirky as she was when she first came in at a younger age.Season 15 of NCIS premieres tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. parade.com/604921/paulettecohn/ncis-star-emily-wickersham-on-gibbs-and-mcgee-missing-taking-charge-the-new-cast-member-and-more/
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Post by llyan on Oct 31, 2017 14:25:13 GMT
NCIS Star Brian Dietzen on His Changing Role as Jimmy Palmer OCTOBER 31, 2017 – 10:05 AM – 0 COMMENTS
By PAULETTE COHNAs if we haven’t had enough cast changes on NCIS with Michael Weatherly (Tony DiNozzo), Cote de Pablo (Ziva David) and Jennifer Esposito‘s (Alex Quinn) departures, a few episodes back we learned that original cast member David McCallum (Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard) was cutting back on his work schedule and would not be appearing in every episode of the CBS naval drama this season.
But luckily for fans, this time around the show will be able to evolve without adding a new cast member as Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen), who we learned last season is now a licensed medical examiner, is able to step up to the task of filling in for Ducky, while he is on sabbatical.
“Jimmy’s had an amazing mentor for a decade and a half so we know he can do the work, but how is it going to be for him emotionally being the boss of autopsy while Ducky is away?,” Dietzen ponders in this exclusive interview. “That’s the really fun part that we’ve gotten to explore so far in this season. How does Jimmy interact with Gibbs [Mark Harmon] and his contemporaries on the team? As an actor, that’s been really fun to check out so far, this year.”
On tonight’s episodes, Palmer takes us outside the autopsy suite when he asks his co-workers to donate to a charity that builds playgrounds for kids of all abilities, meaning it’s wheelchair accessible and accessible for children with disabilities.
“As he’s raising money for it, Torres [Wilmer Valderrama] throws in a bunch of money and you get to see a softer side and a friendship burgeoning between the two men,” Dietzen says. “It was really an amazing thing to shoot.”
It was also an instance when art imitated life, because the week the episode shot, Dietzen was the Grand Marshal for Shane’s Inspiration’s 20th Annual Walk & Roll event, which was founded by NCIS executive producer Scott A. Williams with his wife Catherine Curry-Williams.
“We got to shoot this great storyline where our whole team came together and Torres, specifically, gave a lot of money to help support all-inclusive play,” Dietzen says. “Then in real life, I got to be the grand marshal and raise awareness for all-inclusive play at Shane’s Inspiration in Los Angeles.”
Also on tonight’s “Trapped” episode, a petty officer is found murdered on a golf course, and McGee spends hours on the victim’s ham radio trying to locate a key witness.
For more of the conversation with Dietzen about the changes that Jimmy Palmer will be going through on NCIS, how he will play the role differently, what he has to say about new cast member Maria Bello, and more, check out the interview below:
Ducky had Jimmy, who will Jimmy have? So far, Jimmy’s got the whole team. Now that Ducky decided to go off and take a sabbatical, write a book and teach for a little bit, Jimmy is really leaning on his teammates to help him out. There’s been some great stuff so far this season between Jimmy and Torres, which has been really fun to play. And, of course, as much as Gibbs gets tough with Jimmy here and there, he’s definitely always got Jimmy’s back. Jimmy is definitely going to be leaning on his friends for sure.
Part of Ducky’s success is that he’s seen things with his really long history that help him figure out the extraordinary. Any concerns on Jimmy’s part that he doesn’t have the years of experience? Certainly, he doesn’t have the 50 plus years that Dr. Mallard did, but you’ve got to start somewhere. I think starting with the mentorship with Donald Mallard is a pretty darn good place to start, so even though he’s only been doing this for about 14 years, I think that given NCIS’s history, the amount of stuff that has been seen in the Virginia and D.C. area in that time — my gosh, we’ve had people frozen under ice in the middle of a lake and bombs inside of human bodies — It’s been pretty incredible. While Ducky certainly has had 50 years to build up his canon of stories, Jimmy’s doing pretty well as far as things he’s seen. He just needs a few more years to get up to the level of Ducky, that’s for sure.
Are you going to be playing the character any differently? More confident? That’s a great question because there’s been questions about that. How does this character evolve and what is the maturation process? I think it would be disingenuous to say that the moment that he gets the reins, he gets to suddenly turn around and is an ultra cool, confident, leader-of-the-pack-type of guy. But it also would be disingenuous to say he’s going to remain as he once was as the insecure, peevish assistant for the rest of his life.
The fun part as an actor is being able to show some of that growth over the course of not only the first few episodes but the whole season and see how he’s assisted by his teammates, but also how he can grow in confidence by himself. It’s been really great to do.
It throws back to last year when we found out he was a medical examiner and we got to see flashes of that confidence that he had within himself. It’s fun to figure out what is the right balance of progressing and what is the right balance of keeping what has made Jimmy such a loveable character which is, of course, his unbridled optimism. Trying to steady that balance over the course of the season is going to be really fun.
Is David McCallum going to be popping in? He isn’t retiring is he? Not that he doesn’t deserve it, he’s in his ‘80’s. We will definitely see Ducky more this season. I just did three scenes with him this last week. While he won’t be present in autopsy every day, he’s got Jimmy’s back and he will be popping in as his schedule at the school allows. This year is definitely going to be a year of new experiences for the whole thing.
Maria Bello joined the cast. What has it been like to work with her? I’ve got to say, she’s just fantastic. I’ve been a big fan of hers for years and it’s wonderful when you get to meet and work with someone that you’ve enjoyed their work for so long and you find out that they’re actually a really good person as well. She’s been a treat to work with.
She plays a profiler on the team, which is something that we haven’t had in a while. She is really great, so I’m hoping that my character doing autopsies and her character doing forensic profiling will get to work together a lot more in the future. She’s a great team partner and she’s definitely bringing the heat.
Ducky did some profiling so I thought maybe Jack would take that over. He did a lot of that post-mortem profiling, post-mortem forensic autopsy, while Jack does it with those who are living, as well as those who have passed. So that’s pretty much her specialty. She’s going to be sizing up a lot of our team as well as she comes on.
With all the cast changes, does it feel like a new show? There’s some energy there that definitely feels rejuvenated, if I’m being honest. I think that there’s always going to be that DNA that makes this NCIS. You’re still going to have that big orange room. You’re still going to have Gibbs at the helm and that familial aspect of it, where everyone is looking up to this paternal figure saying, “Tell me I did a good job.”
There’s aspects of this that will always remain NCIS. That said, when you have these new faces and these new characters like Torres and Reeves [Duane Henry] and Maria Bello’s character, Jack, come in, it’s going to change the fabric of what we’re looking at a little bit. While we retain the DNA, I would definitely say there’s a new energy, and in a lot of ways, it’s been very, very invigorating.
NCIS airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
parade.com/614015/paulettecohn/ncis-star-brian-dietzen-on-his-changing-role-as-jimmy-palmer/
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Post by Hari Seldon on Oct 31, 2017 15:12:28 GMT
How could they forget Sasha Alexander? Lauren Holly also merits more mention than Jennifer Esposito.
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Post by terrij58 on Oct 31, 2017 15:59:25 GMT
Right--and there was the first Director also.
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Post by llyan on Dec 12, 2017 15:52:00 GMT
Wilmer Valderrama on How the Rye Fire Shut Down Filming on NCIS' Soundstage and Tonight's Episode DECEMBER 12, 2017 – 10:05 AM – 0 COMMENTS By PAULETTE COHN @paulette49 Wilmer Valderramma (Photo: Cliff Lipson/CBS) When Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) joined the NCIS team, he came off several years of undercover work. But tonight we’re going to learn that he also has some military training as Nick and “Jack” Sloane (Maria Bello) are put in charge of protection for a U.S. senator, who is making a trip to Afghanistan to extend holiday greetings to the troops. But they are urgently called back to the States when the senator’s son winds up in the ICU. As Torres and Sloane try to get Senator Phillips (James Morrison) back to safety, they run into trouble on the way back to the airplane, Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and the rest of the team back in D.C. investigate the altercation that caused the life threatening injuries to the senator’s son. “This is the type of collaboration that the NCIS writers and I had made since I arrived on the show…to expand on the universe of NCIS and continue to take the show to more explosive places and more complex cases,” Valderrama told Parade.com in this exclusive interview. “This was one of those. We just wanted to push it and we went there. I’ve got to tell you, it’s a super, super, thrilling, unpredictable episode. It’s a very scary one, too, but at the end of the day, it’s also very heartfelt.” We also talked to Valderrama about how the Rye Fire near Santa Clarita affected filming, what it was like having his first storyline with Maria Bello, and more. I know you film in Valencia. How badly did the Rye Fire affect production?It unfortunately definitely affected some of the momentum of the scenes and there were a couple of days where we had to swap the schedule. Basically, we had to change our Wednesday schedule to Thursday, and Thursday to Wednesday, and then we had to adjust a couple of scenes for Friday’s shoot to Monday, and so on. We had to change locations, but also our sound studios got shut down. They had to evacuate. There was so much smoke and then the power went out in the sound stages. Thankfully we were actually on location, so we weren’t actually shooting there when it happened, but then everybody had to pretty much go home early. We were seeing a lot of the big planes and the helicopters dropping water. We are across the street right behind Magic Mountain, and I mean, it was dramatic. Honestly, it felt like a clan of dragons went over L.A. and just went crazy, you know? The episode we’re talking about is a little different than what you’ve been doing because you actually gear up and go to Afghanistan. Did you need any extra training for this because this is military stuff that you’re wearing, not cop stuff?Not really. Humbly speaking, I’ve done a lot of military training and Navy SEAL training, so I was very comfortable and embracing of that. As an eight-year undercover guy before that, Torres was definitely a soldier, so he’s like an all-purpose kind of guy. He really will do what it takes, and he’s got the right training for it, and that’s why he was sent on security detail for this specific case. Tell me a little bit about who you’re doing security for.So, we’re going along with a senator as he’s going through his goodwill tour in Afghanistan. He’s visiting the troops for the holidays, and during this time, he gets the bad news that his son was involved in an accident or something that he has to get back for. As we’re trying to get back, Maria Bello’s character, Jacqueline Sloane, me, and another goodwill artist that is there visiting the troops, who happens to be a standup comedian, all four of us get caught up in a situation as we’re trying to make our way out of Afghanistan to return the senator back home so he can see his son. Along the way, there’s a lot of danger, a lot of being light on your feet and having to really go to your military instincts and training to get yourself out of this situation. And what’s happening at home is just as impactful as us trying to figure out where we are and if we will make it back or not. It’s a very dangerous situation for Jacqueline Sloane and Nick Torres because they’re out there on their own with no backup. At some point, they find themselves barricaded somewhere, where no one really knows where they are on the map, so they have to eventually figure it out on their own. This is the first episode that you’re paired with Maria Bello. What’s she like as a partner? She’s amazing. We really like each other. I love that woman so much, and needless to say, she’s really talented and charming. We were a good complement to each other. I was grumpy and she was ever-optimistic, and together we made one human being. So, it was really fun. I’m hoping that this episode will inspire the writers to put us together more because the scenes that we did together were just fantastic. It’s great to perform opposite someone as seasoned as her. So, what doubled for Afghanistan? I’m thinking Vasquez Rocks would be really good.There’s all kinds of places out here to shoot. In the areas that we shot, they shot American Sniper and SEAL Team. We have desert-looking hills that really mimic the terrain of Afghanistan. So, it’s beautiful. And the way they dress it, we have a whole Marine military base that’s built out in the middle of this plain surrounded by dry, desert-looking hills. It really, really looks super, super legit. So, I’m excited. When you see the episode, you’ll see how unique it is that people can create Afghanistan here in the comfort of Santa Clarita and Valencia’s backyard. NCIS airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. parade.com/628420/paulettecohn/wilmer-valderrama-on-how-the-rye-fire-shut-down-filming-on-ncis-soundstage-and-tonights-episode/
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Post by llyan on Jan 2, 2018 18:34:04 GMT
NCIS: Will Sparks Fly When Torres and Bishop Go Undercover? JANUARY 2, 2018 – 10:05 AM – 0 COMMENTS PAULETTE COHN Longtime fans of NCIS will always remember the 2005 episode “Under Covers,” in which Tony (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva (Cote de Pablo) went undercover as a married couple who were assassins with a contract to execute at the Marine Corps birthday ball in Washington — and sparks flew!
On tonight’s “High Tide” episode, Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) and Bishop (Emily Wickersham) go undercover as a criminal couple available for hire during an NCIS sting operation tracking illegal drug-running out of the Norfolk civilian marina. Will there be magic?
“Bishop and Torres have a very unique friendship and relationship,” Valderrama tells Parade.com in this exclusive interview. “They admire each other, but they bicker a little bit and there’s a lot of banter between them sometimes.”
“They’re ordered to go undercover in this case and you will see Emily Wickersham like you’ve never seen her before, which is really, really fun and exciting for me because I work with her every day and I know her range and what she can do.”
One thing that happens during the mission is the two NCIS special agents establish a new and different bond between them.
“They realize that they really care about each other’s well being and they also have the same drive to crack the case,” Valderrama says. “At times, Torres is surprised about how essentially perfect she is, and how much he can relate to her way of thinking. So, it’s a lot of fun, and it’s super suspenseful.”
There is also something different that takes place in this episode. According to Valderrama, it is really about the team and what’s happening to them as opposed to the case.
“It’s a different dynamic and it also will be really cool to see the characters in a position to drive the scenes on a level that’s suspenseful, impactful, and action-packed. The stakes are high and it’s very dangerous for Bishop and Torres. So, I’m super stoked. I think this is the type of episode that continues to expand the show into the dynamic that I feel like the audiences have been slowly evolving into.”
Tune in tonight, but first, here is more of the conversation with Valderrama:
When Tony and Ziva went undercover, sparks flew. Anything like that for Torres and Bishop?
There’s something really funny that happens between Torres and Bishop, but you’ll have to watch that. There’s something very confusing that happens, specifically to Torres because he really did not expect to appreciate her work as much as he does, you know? So, there’s a really fun chemistry between them, and it’s also a mirror to the chemistry that she and I have.
We’ve become super, close friends and we’re idiots at work. We are very, very silly. You can see anything that we do on Instagram, but anyhow, she kills it, man. I think these two characters are definitely promising to turn some heads in the next season.
As dangerous as this mission is, I hear that it also has its humorous moments. Was that nice for you after all those years on That ‘70s Show?
The point of creating a character like Torres is that you want to create a character that doesn’t take himself too serious. As legit, as serious and as real as the threat of danger is, that feels very routine. That is what he does. This is his life and, therefore, there’s not that heaviness or a guy that’s trying to be cooler than he is.
My biggest pet peeve is when a lot of characters on TV take themselves so serious, the action guys. Ultimately, there’s a certain sense of humor you have to have in order to deal with such a heavy type of job and such a dangerous job. You have to have some kind of humor, so we definitely try to include that humor as much as we can in the character.
What I’ve been able to work on with Torres is that he walks that very fine line between don’t mess with Torres, but also, he’s hilarious. He’s cracking a joke but he’s going to follow that up with breaking your nose, right? So it’s really fun for me to play that. I intend to build more upon that, and the writers have been amazing to write towards that, so my character is having a lot of fun with this.
It feels as if Torres had undergone a big evolution since he started because he was this lone wolf when he came on, and now he seems to be more of a team player.
Yes, I think he’s absolutely understood what Gibbs saw in him and how he can complement what they had going, and he’s followed suit. Now it’s really all about protecting each other as they get closer to cracking the case. So, it’s a family now, and I think he’s fit right in from episode three, which they asked him to do.
The more he dives into it, the more he appreciated what the squadron provided for him as an agent as they got together to crack cases and get the bad guys. I think, absolutely, there’s a different mentality and he’s definitely adapted more to the team for sure.
NCIS returns with new episodes tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
parade.com/633856/paulettecohn/ncis-will-sparks-fly-when-torres-and-bishop-go-undercover/
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Post by llyan on Jan 23, 2018 20:15:57 GMT
NCIS Star Rocky Carroll on Vance's Daughter's Run In With the Law & Why He Thinks Actors Leave Hit Shows JANUARY 23, 2018 – 10:07 AM – 0 COMMENTS
BY PAULETTE COHN
When a series has been on the air for 15 seasons, it has a lot of backstory. Such is the case with NCIS, and the writers of CBS’ No. 1 drama are savvy enough to take advantage of the fact and pull from the show’s history for current storylines.
One such instance takes place tonight in the “Family Ties” episode when Director Leon Vance’s (Rocky Carroll) 17-year-old daughter Kayla (Naomi Grace) is arrested for shoplifting. Vance, of course, has been a single parent ever since his wife Jackie (Paula Newsome) died from gunshot wounds sustained in a drive-by shooting while entertaining the head of Israel’s Mossad at their home several years back.
Tonight’s episode will demonstrate the effect that devastating event had on Kayla Vance.
In an exclusive interview with Carroll, who also directed the episode, he very much shares the belief that Kayla, who has already been accepted to Georgetown University and appears to have a bright future, is acting out as a direct reflection of the fact that there is no mother in the home and that the kids — Vance also has a son — basically fend for themselves from the time their father goes to work until the time he comes home.
“Basically, the conflict is: Here is a man who runs a federal agency and has hundreds of people who answer to him,” Carroll says. “He is able to — with a stroke of a pen or a brush of his hand — change people’s lives but that kind of power doesn’t translate when dealing with a teenage daughter. It isn’t until this incident happens that he realizes how much of a void there is at home. I think he is incredibly conflicted by this and knows exactly where it lies.”
Carroll also talks about tonight’s “A” story, directing, and why he thinks actors leave hit series.
Tell me a little about the “A” story?
There are no shootouts, car crashes or explosions in this episode. We have a Marine who has a penchant for jogging at night and he is hit and killed by a hit-and-run driver and we find out through the story that the owner of the car was not the person who committed the crime. It was actually a teenage neighbor and her friend who were eyeing this Maserati owned by the neighbor. They decide to go for a joy ride and the joy ride turns tragic. So you have two teenage girls who are responsible for this incident, which parallels the story of Vance’s teenage daughter who has also run afoul of the law.
Does Vance want to be more a part of the action like in the old days, or is he content being the boss?
I do sometimes but I like where I am. I like being a part of the whole. Somebody’s got to hold down the fort. I don’t mind being on the special team as opposed to playing offense.
You also directed this episode. Do you pick the episodes you direct? Your role in this seems to be larger so does that make it more difficult?
It does make it more difficult. I have now directed my sixth episode and, to me, I am still in the embryonic stages of being a television director. But each time I do it, I learn a little more. It is really difficult because I want to focus all my energy on one side of the camera or the other, so I still am learning how to split that focus and conserve enough energy so I don’t feel like one side is sacrificing for the other.
Right now what I feel is: Is my directing going to suffer because I am on the other side of the camera and vice versa? I am sure there are other actors who direct that also feel that same conflict. I don’t feel as if I have enough of these under my belt to spend a lot of time in front of the camera when I direct.
When you do feel comfortable, do you want to go on to direct other shows?
I do. What would be great is going onto other shows, I am not in the cast so I only have to stay on one side of the camera.
It also must be different directing now that NCIS has so many new cast members: Maria Bello, Wilmer Valderrama, and Duane Henry?
After 15 seasons, I think you have told every story you can possibly tell. You have put each character in every conceivable scenario so when you have three new characters, a lot of times you have a blank canvas from which to work. Even though storylines may be similar to ones from the past, the characters have new personalities and new dynamics.
At 15 seasons, I admire our writing staff and producers who come up with new ideas after so many years. Having new characters with a new energy and a new dynamic gives us all something else to work with. I think it is a welcome change.
There are not that many people who can say they have been on a show long enough to leave it. Usually, you don’t have a choice. The show gets canceled. There are very few people who live in the rare air of being able to leave a show while it is still in production. I never question anybody’s motives for it. People forget that as artists you are constantly looking to evolve and grow.
It’s like for a musician. If you make a really great album and you keep making that same album every year, at some point, you’re, “I need a new band and a new sound.” It varies from person to person. People ask me all the time: Why would somebody leave a show? Not every show runs 15 seasons. Everybody I know, I guarantee that their life is a lot different than it was 15 years ago.
Actors don’t become actors for stability.
Right. You crave it when it happens but there is always that thing that whispers in your ear, “What else can you do?” What are you going to do next?” I think it is part of the creative process. It is like I said, you don’t want to make the same album over and over again, even if that album is successful.
I think a lot of creative people are conflicted because there is the financial success and the audience response to something. Everybody around you says, “Hey, just keep doing that.” I think an artist’s natural response is to continue to grow and evolve.
I haven’t seen you do a crossover to NCIS: Los Angeles in a while.
We haven’t done much of those. The big push when the show came about was there was this tie-in that Vance was connected to both shows and there was a sense of continuity with the NCIS brand. I think the network was more willing to do a crossover then because they wanted to make sure they could build an audience that would stay. Once that was established, the desire to do the crossovers was not as great.
The “Family Ties” episode of NCIS airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.parade.com/639570/paulettecohn/ncis-star-rocky-carroll-on-vances-daughters-run-in-with-the-law-why-he-thinks-actors-leave-hit-shows/
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Post by kate06460 on Feb 3, 2018 16:28:16 GMT
NCIS Star Rocky Carroll on Vance's Daughter's Run In With the Law & Why He Thinks Actors Leave Hit Shows JANUARY 23, 2018 – 10:07 AM – 0 COMMENTS
BY PAULETTE COHN
When a series has been on the air for 15 seasons, it has a lot of backstory. Such is the case with NCIS, and the writers of CBS’ No. 1 drama are savvy enough to take advantage of the fact and pull from the show’s history for current storylines.
One such instance takes place tonight in the “Family Ties” episode when Director Leon Vance’s (Rocky Carroll) 17-year-old daughter Kayla (Naomi Grace) is arrested for shoplifting. Vance, of course, has been a single parent ever since his wife Jackie (Paula Newsome) died from gunshot wounds sustained in a drive-by shooting while entertaining the head of Israel’s Mossad at their home several years back.
Tonight’s episode will demonstrate the effect that devastating event had on Kayla Vance.
In an exclusive interview with Carroll, who also directed the episode, he very much shares the belief that Kayla, who has already been accepted to Georgetown University and appears to have a bright future, is acting out as a direct reflection of the fact that there is no mother in the home and that the kids — Vance also has a son — basically fend for themselves from the time their father goes to work until the time he comes home.
“Basically, the conflict is: Here is a man who runs a federal agency and has hundreds of people who answer to him,” Carroll says. “He is able to — with a stroke of a pen or a brush of his hand — change people’s lives but that kind of power doesn’t translate when dealing with a teenage daughter. It isn’t until this incident happens that he realizes how much of a void there is at home. I think he is incredibly conflicted by this and knows exactly where it lies.”
Carroll also talks about tonight’s “A” story, directing, and why he thinks actors leave hit series.
Tell me a little about the “A” story?
There are no shootouts, car crashes or explosions in this episode. We have a Marine who has a penchant for jogging at night and he is hit and killed by a hit-and-run driver and we find out through the story that the owner of the car was not the person who committed the crime. It was actually a teenage neighbor and her friend who were eyeing this Maserati owned by the neighbor. They decide to go for a joy ride and the joy ride turns tragic. So you have two teenage girls who are responsible for this incident, which parallels the story of Vance’s teenage daughter who has also run afoul of the law.
Does Vance want to be more a part of the action like in the old days, or is he content being the boss?
I do sometimes but I like where I am. I like being a part of the whole. Somebody’s got to hold down the fort. I don’t mind being on the special team as opposed to playing offense.
You also directed this episode. Do you pick the episodes you direct? Your role in this seems to be larger so does that make it more difficult?
It does make it more difficult. I have now directed my sixth episode and, to me, I am still in the embryonic stages of being a television director. But each time I do it, I learn a little more. It is really difficult because I want to focus all my energy on one side of the camera or the other, so I still am learning how to split that focus and conserve enough energy so I don’t feel like one side is sacrificing for the other.
Right now what I feel is: Is my directing going to suffer because I am on the other side of the camera and vice versa? I am sure there are other actors who direct that also feel that same conflict. I don’t feel as if I have enough of these under my belt to spend a lot of time in front of the camera when I direct.
When you do feel comfortable, do you want to go on to direct other shows?
I do. What would be great is going onto other shows, I am not in the cast so I only have to stay on one side of the camera.
It also must be different directing now that NCIS has so many new cast members: Maria Bello, Wilmer Valderrama, and Duane Henry?
After 15 seasons, I think you have told every story you can possibly tell. You have put each character in every conceivable scenario so when you have three new characters, a lot of times you have a blank canvas from which to work. Even though storylines may be similar to ones from the past, the characters have new personalities and new dynamics.
At 15 seasons, I admire our writing staff and producers who come up with new ideas after so many years. Having new characters with a new energy and a new dynamic gives us all something else to work with. I think it is a welcome change.
There are not that many people who can say they have been on a show long enough to leave it. Usually, you don’t have a choice. The show gets canceled. There are very few people who live in the rare air of being able to leave a show while it is still in production. I never question anybody’s motives for it. People forget that as artists you are constantly looking to evolve and grow.
It’s like for a musician. If you make a really great album and you keep making that same album every year, at some point, you’re, “I need a new band and a new sound.” It varies from person to person. People ask me all the time: Why would somebody leave a show? Not every show runs 15 seasons. Everybody I know, I guarantee that their life is a lot different than it was 15 years ago.
Actors don’t become actors for stability.
Right. You crave it when it happens but there is always that thing that whispers in your ear, “What else can you do?” What are you going to do next?” I think it is part of the creative process. It is like I said, you don’t want to make the same album over and over again, even if that album is successful.
I think a lot of creative people are conflicted because there is the financial success and the audience response to something. Everybody around you says, “Hey, just keep doing that.” I think an artist’s natural response is to continue to grow and evolve.
I haven’t seen you do a crossover to NCIS: Los Angeles in a while.
We haven’t done much of those. The big push when the show came about was there was this tie-in that Vance was connected to both shows and there was a sense of continuity with the NCIS brand. I think the network was more willing to do a crossover then because they wanted to make sure they could build an audience that would stay. Once that was established, the desire to do the crossovers was not as great.
The “Family Ties” episode of NCIS airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.parade.com/639570/paulettecohn/ncis-star-rocky-carroll-on-vances-daughters-run-in-with-the-law-why-he-thinks-actors-leave-hit-shows/ Yet they don't mind doing it with NOLA? Could that be because of the leadership?
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Post by llyan on Apr 3, 2018 16:06:37 GMT
Exclusive First Look: Gibbs Takes Custody of a 10-Year-Old Girl on NCIS APRIL 3, 2018 – 11:42 AM – 0 COMMENTSPAULETTE COHN Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) may have a tough outer shell, but underneath he has a soft spot when it comes to children, especially young girls who are about the age of his daughter Kelly, who was 8 years old when she and her mother — Gibbs’ first wife Shannon — were murdered by a Mexican drug dealer named Pedro Hernandez.On tonight’s “The Numerical Limit” episode of NCIS, Gibbs is going to make sure that death doesn’t find a 10-year-old orphaned refugee, Elena (Lily Rose Silver), when the case that the team is investigating reveals she is the target of a violent gang. In order to do so, Gibbs takes Elena into protective custody.In this exclusive video, when Special Agent Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) learns that Elena only speaks Spanish, he decides that he should be the one to communicate with her, but he is surprised when she isn’t taken in by his charm, and only wants to know why he wears his shirts so tight.Check it out!NCIS airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.parade.com/659184/paulettecohn/exclusive-first-look-gibbs-takes-custody-of-a-10-year-old-girl-on-ncis/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
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Post by mchnelson on Apr 3, 2018 17:03:18 GMT
So why did we get subtitles for Bishop's question but not for Nick and Elena?
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Post by llyan on Apr 17, 2018 14:28:46 GMT
NCIS Exclusive First Look: Special Agent Nick Torres is Assigned a Blind Witness APRIL 16, 2018 – 11:16 PM – 0 COMMENTSWilmer Valderrama and Marilee Talkington (Photo: Patrick McElhenney/CBS)NCIS celebrates its 350th episode on Tuesday night with “Sight Unseen,” in which the team searches for a petty officer who escapes while being transported when an accident sends the vehicle he is traveling in into a lake.The driver, a sheriff, manages to escape, but is unable to rescue the petty officer. When NCIS arrives on the scene and has the car towed out of the lake, they find an empty back seat and a busted rear window.While there were no eye witnesses, there was a witness who had been camping nearby and heard what happened, and Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) is assigned to get her statement.The exclusive video clip is a scene in which Torres stops by to visit Annie Barth (Marilee Talkington), the key witness who just happens to be blind, and gets a surprise.According to the Woodland Daily Democrat, Talkington is legally blind in real life, but this is the first time she will portray a blind character. She was born with no central vision and depends on her peripheral sight.“There is such a huge spectrum of visual (dis)ability,” Talkington told the paper back in 2010. “I am totally blind centrally so I cannot see what is directly in front of me. But I do have peripheral vision. That’s how I gather visual information.”NCIS airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
parade.com/662863/paulettecohn/ncis-exclusive-first-look-special-agent-nick-torres-is-assigned-a-blind-witness/
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Post by llyan on Apr 30, 2018 18:35:00 GMT
ENTERTAINMENT Exclusive Video: Abby Begins Her Goodbyes on Tuesday Night's NCIS APRIL 30, 2018 – 2:23 PM – 0 COMMENTS
PAULETTE COHN
Pauley Perrette and Duane Henry (Photo: Eddy Chen/CBS)
Tuesday night’s NCIS episode is the beginning of Pauley Perrette’s goodbye to the series after 15 years playing forensics expert Abby Sciuto.
Parade.com has an exclusive clip from the “One Step Forward” episode in which a young woman, Sara Carter (Skye P. Marshall), begs Gibbs (Mark Harmon) to investigate her mother’s murder as she believes the local authorities convicted the wrong man.
This leads Sara to a relationship with Clayton Reeves (Duane Henry), who is trying to convince her to let him help her through the Final Salute H.O.M.E Program at which he volunteers, and when he isn’t making inroads, he asks Abby for her help — and in so doing, reveals more about his backstory to NCIS fans.
“I started volunteering as part of my recovery. The difference between me and Sara is she has a lot of pictures and I only have got the one,” he says pulling out a much-worn, black-and-white photo of him as a little boy with his mom.
“I was three years old when she died,” he continues. “One of the only things I know about her is that she was homeless. Well, we were homeless together.”
“So you volunteer to honor her,” Abby says.
“Of course. It is like when I am here, I can see her in a way. I figure when I am retired, I will start a charity in her name. I think my volunteer work is best kept to making pizza.”
“Why because Sarah didn’t accept your help? You can’t give up on her,” Abby counsels.
“I am not. That’s why I wanted you to see this place, so you could talk to her. You’ve got the biggest heart I’ve ever seen. If anyone can convince her, it’s you.”
“I’m not doing it.”
“Please Sarah doesn’t trust me.
“You don’t need me. Everything this place stands for, this is you,” Abby says.
Also, on Tuesday night’s episode, Abby is awarded a dinner reservation to a brand-new five-star restaurant in an igloo and has to decide which coworker should be her plus one.
As it does so often, NCIS pulls from real military life in order to make its stories resonate. Final Salute, Inc. is a real organization. It’s H.O.M.E Program provides transitional housing to homeless women veterans and their children.
In addition, they also have a S.A.F.E Program, the purpose of which is to prevent homelessness by easing financial hardships by providing emergency financial assistance. Since incorporation, Final Salute has provided more than 12,600 Days of transitional housing and supported over 3800 women veterans and children in over 30 states and territories.
NCIS airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.
parade.com/666650/paulettecohn/exclusive-video-abby-begins-her-goodbyes-on-tuesday-nights-ncis/
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