Harrison Ford And 4 Other Actors Who Could've Been NCIS' Gibbs

There are many shows that choose to keep their “almost” castings secret in case they ever reach a point where they need to become reality. However, every time they are revealed to the general public, it becomes a joy to imagine all of these people in a role that you already know and love so well.

In the case of NCIS, it turns out that there were quite a few actors that the team wanted to try out for the role of Special Agent in Charge Leroy Gibbs. Of course, with Mark Harmon getting the role and making it his own for the last 20 years, there's no one else fans would want. But it's still fun to think about how different the team could have been.

Here are five actors who came this close to leading NCIS, but were passed over for one reason or another.

Harrison Ford

Although Harrison Ford didn’t really do TV at the time that NCIS was pitched and discussed within the team, it was decided to keep his name on the table. Considering his past appearances, it would be very easy to imagine Ford in a position like that, so the vision was definitely there.

Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin was another name that was thrown into the mix. Resembling the type of both Mark Harmon who ended up playing Gibbs, and Harrison Ford, he continued the direction that the production team chose for a leading character.

Scott Glenn

According to Susan Bluestein, NCIS casting director, Glenn was heavily considered not only for the role of Gibbs but also for the role of Ducky as well. Unfortunately, the actor passed on either of the parts at the end but ultimately got closer than anybody to actually challenge Harmon’s claim.

Kevin Bacon

Yet another actor, whose name was mentioned quite a few times, but never received an invitation to audition. It is unknown what exactly made the production team refuse the idea of inviting Bacon to the show, but the JFK star never got to decide whether he’d want to jump in on the project.

Andrew McCarthy

As opposed to Baldwin and Bacon, McCarthy actually was in talks about the part and even spoke directly to one of the series' co-creators Don Bellisario as they met. Whether the two of them couldn’t work out a perfect schedule or agree on the other conditions is unknown, but at the end of the day the role of the Agent in Charge Gibbs didn’t go to the actor either.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter