A veteran actor says that he still gets recognized for his time on NCIS, even though he was only in three episodes. The stalwart CBS procedural is no stranger to bringing in familiar faces to play memorable characters. Even as recently as the NCIS season 22 premiere, GLOW and Nobody Wants This actor Jackie Tohn was brought in to play a lawyer who knew more than what she was willing to let on.
Other famous guest stars that appeared on NCIS after they were already well-established include the singer Mya, Halloween‘s Jamie Lee Curtis, and screen icons such as Bob Newhart. There’s even a case to be made for Zac Efron, who showed up on the CBS series for a small part in 2006. It was just three days before his life-changing role as High School Musical’s Troy Bolton premiered on The Disney Channel. Another actor is reflecting on the fact that he still gets recognized for his NCIS stint, though he portrayed a much more significant character.
Scott Wolf Still Gets Recognized For His Villainous NCIS Role
Wolf Played Casey Stratton/Jonathan Cole
Scott Wolf says he still gets recognized for the three episodes of NCIS he’s appeared in. Known for playing Bailey Salinger in the family drama Party of Five, in addition to more recent projects, such as The CW’s Nancy Drew series, Wolf played the duplicitous Jonathan Cole in NCIS season 9. He first appears in the premiere episode. Though he does help the team, Wolf’s character turns out to be dangerous and is ultimately killed in that season’s finale.
In an interview with TV Insider, to discuss his recurring role in the Fox medical drama Doc, Wolf reflected on his quick run with NCIS. In the quote below, the actor prasies former NCIS lead Mark Harmon and attributes part of Casey being memorable to the fact that the villain did, in the end, get something of a redemption arc. Read the quote below:
“I did three episodes, I don’t even know how long ago, and I might get stopped for that in airports as much as anything else.It’s a very popular show, obviously. But there was something about the fact that they made a little arc out of that character, and he wasn’t a one-off, shoot people and go away [character].”
“NCIS was great. Mark Harmon, salt of the Earth, generous, really made me feel welcome there. They told a very cool story with my character. Oftentimes whe n you come in and play a character like I did — he was a villain, he was like this rogue ex-Navy Seal who wanted to shoot people and harm people. But they wound up sort of redeeming him in the end.”
Cole is part of a Special Ops Team known as the Phantom Force. Wolf is likely referring to the fact that, in his last appearance, Cole sacrifices himself to save Gibbs (Harmon) and others. Cole believes in the righteousness of what he’s doing, even if it means killing people, but he perishes doing something that’s depicted as heroic.
Our Take On Wolf’s NCIS Familiarity
Streaming Likely Plays A Part In It
NCIS is one of its biggest shows on streaming, with its older episodes appearing regularly on Top 10 lists. That likely accounts for some of why Wolf is still recognized for a meaty but minor antagonist role in the long arc of the hit franchise. Not to mention that Cole tried to kill fan-favorite Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), so that helps him stand out a bit, as well.
Source: TV Insider
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NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) focuses on the sometimes complex and always amusing dynamics of a team forced to work together in high-stress situations. Special Agent Alden Parker, a quirky former FBI agent who solves his cases with calm professionalism and sharp, sarcastic charm, leads the NCIS team, which includes NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee, an MIT graduate with a knack for computers who has now graduated to senior field agent; the charismatic, unpredictable and resilient NCIS Special Agent Nicholas “Nick” Torres, who has spent most of his career on solo undercover assignments; and sharp, athletic and tough NCIS Special Agent Jessica Knight, a formidable REACT agent who specializes in hostage negotiations and high-risk operations. The naïve Jimmy Palmer is assisting the team, who graduated from assistant to fully licensed medical examiner and now runs the morgue; and forensic scientist Kasie Hines, Ducky’s former graduate assistant. Overseeing operations is NCIS Director Leon Vance, an intelligent, highly trained agent who can always be counted on to shake up the status quo. From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, these special agents investigate all crimes with Navy or Marine Corps ties.
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NCIS
The NCIS franchise is an American media franchise that focuses on military-related criminal investigations by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It began with NCIS in 2003, a spin-off from JAG, and has since expanded to include multiple spin-offs set across different locations.
