NCIS: Origins' Austin Stowell Thinks Gibbs Has 'Turmoil' Over Lala Feelings

Did NCIS: Origins‘ Gibbs create rule 12 because of his feelings for Lala? Austin Stowell thinks so.

“There’s a reason that people who work together sometimes end up getting together. It’s that they understand each other,” Stowell, 39, exclusively told Us Weekly. “There’s a lot of Lala in Gibbs and vice versa that they see a bit of a mirror image. But they’re both very stubborn.”

Stowell noted that the chemistry between Gibbs and Lala (Mariel Molino) could not have come at a worse time.

“At this point, we’re still just months after Gibbs lost his wife and child. Even if those emotions are creeping in, he probably is quieting them and feeling as if he shouldn’t have those feelings,” the actor explained. “If his wife and daughter were still alive, he would be with them. It is only because of their death — their murder — that he blames himself for that he’s even in the position and interacting with the people he’s with.”

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NCIS: Origins follows a young Gibbs — a role originated by Mark Harmon — years prior to the events of NCIS. The new series picks up less than a year after Gibbs’ wife and daughter were killed. During season 1, Gibbs starts a new job as a special agent at the NIS Camp Pendleton office while still dealing with the aftermath of losing his family.

“The turmoil that probably causes him [is obvious]. [This week’s] episode was a great example of that, where you see Gibbs and Lala physically getting intimate for the first time and having to work together,” Stowell told Us. “That’s where their bond is created. When you go through experiences with another person — particularly ones where you have to overcome a certain endeavor and succeed — that can be a real bonding memory for the two of you. That event can be the catalyst for something more.”

Despite Gibbs and Lala’s obvious tension, the potential couple is “very cognizant” of the fact that they are coworkers.

“It would not be a good idea. Rule 12, we haven’t seen that rule get written yet. It might be in [Gibbs’] box, I’m not sure,” Stowell explained about the list Gibbs created for himself. “But he might not have had a reason to write that rule if he was with [his wife] Shannon already. So there might be some edits to the rules coming up.”

NCIS fans already know that rule 12 states that Gibbs should “never date a coworker.” Stowell doesn’t know if that’s where the story is going, but he has no doubt that Gibbs really cares for Lala.

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“Certainly his attraction to Lala has as much to do with who she is as a person as her aesthetic value,” he continued. “He sees something inside her that lights him up.”

Stowell has a multitude of thoughts about where NCIS: Origins could go — but he doesn’t have any inside information.

“At the beginning, the writers’ room let us know certain overarching story lines that might play out. But what [creators] Gina [Lucita Monreal] and David [J. North] have said from the very beginning is that they wanted to write for us and get to know us and see what works as we’re shooting. So I think we are informing them about their own characters as we go episode to episode,” he noted. “I’m not many episodes ahead. And we still have crimes to solve and memories to go back to. There are certain events coming in the next few episodes that are incredibly important to the story of NCIS and to the story of Gibbs that I’m really excited to share with the fans of the show.”

Stowell couldn’t contain his love for the opportunity to star on NCIS: Origins, sharing, “To have the NCIS universe continue to grow and to be part of this canon now is really great. It’s a lot of fun to be a part of. I just wasn’t anticipating loving it as much as I do. And trust me, I love all the characters that I play. It just has become so important to me because I can feel how important it is to other people. I like that people can look at Gibbs and say, ‘That’s a real person.'”

He added: “The fact that I’m playing a character who is dealing with his own issues with mental health — something that’s very near and dear to my heart — and how to overcome those issues or certainly how to face them. There is reason upon reason for me to love this and to feel like the luckiest guy in the world. I feel like this was meant to be.”

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While reflecting on the show, which received a full season order, Stowell credited the entire cast and crew for NCIS: Origins‘ ongoing success.

“That is what I think makes our show so special and it’s what drew me to it from the very beginning. This all starts with our roadmap — these scripts and this incredible writing — that we’ve gotten from David and Gina, who were writers on the show on NCIS for 20 years,” he detailed. “They’re arguably taking the biggest risk out of all of us because we’re all probies. The whole cast is probies. But [the creators] were the ones who came from the mothership, who had a responsibility to tell a story that the fans would love.”

Stowell was extremely proud of the impact that NCIS: Origins has had, adding, “The fact that David and Gina went out on the limb that they did and created what I consider is a network-changing story line, I cannot thank them enough for it. Personally, this is a character that I jump out of bed to play in the morning. I am very honored that I have been tapped to be Gibbs. It means a lot to me and I didn’t expect it to mean so much to me. Just in the first five months, I have grown so much as a human being. I am Gibbs’ biggest fan now. It’s a dream job.”

NCIS: Origins airs on CBS Mondays at 10 p.m. ET and is currently streaming on Paramount+.