Molino, known for her roles in Promised Land and Mexican productions, talked about her career prior to going to Hollywood which happened in 2021. She admitted she never expected to play a hardened Marine. "I honestly did not think I fit the mold of what a military woman, a tough Marine looked like, acted like" she explained. But her chemistry with Stowell was instant—even if their audition together was combative. She got the call when still in Mexico City, inviting her for an audition at the Paramount the very next day. Molino explained laughing: "We’re doing the audition, and I’m not kidding you. Austin has his back turned to me, watching a TV that doesn’t even exist. I just grabbed his water bottle and said, ‘You’re gonna look at me.’" Stowell added: "She was it from the moment she walked in. The way she dressed, the way she carried herself—different than anybody else, and you could tell she was upset with me". The tension mirrored their characters’ relationship: Dominguez, a sharp-witted investigator, and Gibbs, a brooding rookie with a haunted past.
On the question if stepping into Mark Harmon’s iconic role led to pressure, Stowell commented "pressure is a privilege," quoting tennis legend Billie Jean King. "If you’re under pressure, that means you’re needed in the moment. Step up—it’s your time." He studied Harmon’s mannerisms but avoided imitation: "I wanted the essence of Gibbs—the quiet intensity, the courtesy. But this is Gibbs before the walls went up. We get to hear his thoughts, his pain. That’s never been done before." He added he was not afraid to show emotion, to be a very different Gibbs and shared that he often dreams about the show and also runs the series in the background while doing other stuff so he can hear Gibbs' voice.
Molino added: "This isn’t just ‘crime of the week.’ It’s a memory. Gibbs is looking back on the people and trauma that shaped him. It’s raw." The actors noted that NCIS: Origins, the prequel of NCIS, is a different kind of series, it's not your regular NCIS show, it is much more intimate.
"David (J. North) and Gina (Lucita Monreal), who have worked on NCIS for years, know the formula, but they also wanted something else out of the show. They wanted to create something a little bit different because it's not just a Crime of the week that we're telling, it is a bit deeper, and a bit more raw, getting more into the emotional side of who these characters are. And that's really all that actors ask for - you want to get into something that makes you feel, whether that is sadness or happiness or grief or search for identity."
Filming at Paramount Studios—where NCIS has shot for 20 years—added to the gravity. Stowell: "Walking onto those stages, knowing the history… I’m such a nerd. I dream about the show. Literally." Molino commented: "Our stages are anything but empty. We’ve got Little New York, Little Chicago—it feels like living a dream."
On portraying his character, Stowell shared that he has adopted Gibbs’ signature boots and blue contacts to get into character: "As soon as I put them on, I’m not Austin anymore. That’s my therapy."
Off-screen, the duo forged a sibling-like dynamic. Molino: "We’ve had ups and downs, but way more ups. If we never disagreed, it’d mean we didn’t care." Stowell: "She calls me out—no bullsh*t. That’s what makes it feel like family." Their chemistry extends to the writers’ room, where NCIS veterans David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal crafted a deeper narrative. "They wanted something more emotional," Stowell noted. "Gibbs’ story is about identity, loss—things anyone can relate to."
With the renewal confirmed, Stowell teased: "We’ve got more ghosts from Gibbs’ past to uncover." Molino added that Lala’s not just his partner—she’s the one who challenges him to become the Gibbs we know.
Asked about why Harmon’s involvement and why he left the series, Stowell smiled "he’s still Gibbs. Just in a different capacity."
