The Superhero Actor Who Auditioned To Play Young Gibbs On NCIS: Origins

Mark Harmon is arguably the face most associated with "NCIS." After all, the franchise veteran portrayed the rule-setting Leroy Jethro Gibbs for 19 seasons before stepping away from the hit procedural, much to the dismay of long-time fans of the show. While other actors were in contention for the role of Gibbs on "NCIS" before Harmon was offered the part, it's impossible to imagine anyone else filling his boots.

Similarly, Austin Stowell shines as a younger version of Gibbs on "NCIS: Origins," a prequel series that focuses on the agent during his younger days. Stowell displays all of the stoic abilities we associate with the character while also tapping into his emotional vulnerabilities (as the series takes place in the wake of Gibbs' family getting killed). It's a great performance, but did you know that "Arrow" star Stephen Amell tried to land the part as well?

During an interview with the "Inside of You" podcast (via Deadline), Amell revealed that he auditioned for two shows in the same week, and "NCIS: Origins" was at the top of his priority list. As history has shown, he didn't get the role, but his other audition (for none other than NBC's "Suits: L.A.") was way more successful, as he was ultimately cast as protagonist Ted Black, the head of a law firm that specializes in celebrity clients on the "Suits" spin-off.

Despite landing on his feet, though, the "Heels" actor was annoyed at missing out on the chance to play a character on "NCIS: Origins." With that in mind, let's find out why he was so ticked off.

Stephen Amell was excited to potentially join the "NCIS" property. While he wasn't the most dedicated fan of the franchise prior to his audition, he wanted to be part of a network series that had already received a full season order. What's more, he was confident about landing the role of young Gibbs following his audition — so he felt the sting when the show's creators turned him down. As he put it:

"This came in, and I thought that the audition went extraordinarily well. I got great feedback. I hadn't looked at the sides for 'Suits L.A.' yet, and then I found out on Thursday afternoon, after getting not just good feedback, but, like, good intel, like, 'We think [the series] is gonna move forward,' all of a sudden, it was dead, and I felt like someone, somewhere along the line, had, like, c**k-blocked me... So I didn't know what was going on, and I was frustrated."

Fortunately, it wasn't all doom and gloom for Amell. The rejection inspired him to channel his frustrations into his "Suits L.A." tryout, and the rest is history. That audition ultimately landed him a leading role on an NBC series, and he is happy with how everything panned out. Life could be a lot worse for the Arrowverse alum right now, but it would still be interesting to see his take on Leroy Jethro Gibbs.