NCIS has been on the air for ten seasons now, which means the cast is well accustomed to the idiosyncrasies of filming a procedural drama. However, even after ten seasons, there’s still one member of the gang that has trouble remembering their lines.
ET recently visited the NCIS set for an episode directed by one of the show’s actors, Michael Weatherly (“Tony DiNozzo”), who previously directed an episode of his longtime series in 2011.
While Weatherly is typically a lighthearted, joking fellow, he took a serious moment to convey what an honor it is for him to direct the show once again.
“We all as a cast come together and have a great time, but when you’re a director, you get to see all the other departments,” Weatherly said. “…Everybody comes together, hundreds of people, and they make this show. As actors we get to be in front of the camera and goof around and present to you on ‘ET,’ but it’s hundreds of people that put it together. I’m always honored and deeply humbled to have the opportunity to direct this crew. It’s awesome.”
The always jubilant actor may have it in him to direct NCIS’ cast and crew, but he sometimes struggles to remember his lines, as revealed by Cote de Pablo (“Ziva David”).
“I think it’s Michael,” De Pablo said with a smile when asked which of her co-stars has the most trouble remembering lines, “but at the end of the day, what you see is really what you get. I mean, everyone’s at the top of their game”
Weatherly revealed that he has attempted to curb his forgetfulness by carrying around small cheat sheets in the palm of his hand with his lines written on them. He joked that he puts them on the head of his co-star when the camera can’t see.
Despite flubbing his lines every now and then, Weatherly remains a favorite amongst his co-stars, even when he is their boss as director.
“[It’s] fun. He’s very prepared,” said Pauley Perrette (“Abby Sciuto”). “He’s very pro at everything, but it’s also fun. The best thing about him is that he gets really, super excited about stuff.”
NCIS airs tonight at 8 p.m. on CBS.