“Rocky Carroll’s Stunning Revelation: The Surprising Co-Star That Made His Role as ‘Vance’ on NCIS Possible – You Won’t Believe Who!”
Rocky Carroll made his initial appearance on the popular CBS crime drama in its fifth season, and he attributed his inclusion to the show’s then-lead, Mark Harmon.
NCIS concluded its twentieth season earlier this year, but one of its cast members has acknowledged that Mark Harmon, who was the show’s lead at the time, played a significant role in his joining the team.
Rocky Carroll, who joined the hit police procedural as Assistant Director Leon Vance in the fifth season, reunited with an old colleague. He explained, “I tell people all the time that I only knew one person connected to NCIS, but it was the right person to know, and that was Mark Harmon.”
Before joining the cast of NCIS, the two actors had collaborated on Chicago Hope.
Mark portrayed the main character, Agent Leroy Gibbs, for nineteen seasons before retiring from the show in 2021.
When Rocky initially met with the network and the show’s executive producer to discuss a role on the hit series, he realized, “I knew that no matter what they thought or felt about me, that if Harmon hadn’t said, ‘You know what, I know this guy,’ I would have been a skeptic.” He added, “We worked together, we worked well together, I give you my approval,’ that would never have happened.”
Rocky initially signed on for just four episodes of the popular CBS drama, expecting it to be a short-term commitment.
He noted, “It could have been brilliantly written, brilliantly performed, brilliantly shot, but if the audience didn’t respond to the character, it would’ve ended after four episodes.”
After Alan Dale and Lauren Holly, he became the third actor to take on the role of Director.
Rocky, however, had a long history with the network, appearing in a variety of comedies, dramas, pilots, and shows that “didn’t last very long.”
He recalled, “It was a real feather in my cap when the network said, ‘We know you, and we love you, and we trust you with this role on our signature show,'” and he expressed his delight at being part of it.
While Rocky knew that he was “part of something really good,” he preferred not to be in the spotlight or have to “carry the ball every episode.”
Nevertheless, his character made appearances in two of the spin-off series, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans, over the years. Rocky also directed several episodes of the original series.
He concluded, “So, I go to my grave saying that I was Harmon-approved,” acknowledging that it greatly aided him in landing the role.
