‘NCIS’ star speaks out after getting killed off in 500th episode: ‘Incredibly emotional’

“NCIS” prima Rocky Carroll — who’s been connected nan bid since 2008 — says nan shocking decease of his character, head Leon Vance, was not his decision.

Showrunner, Steve Binder, collapsed nan news to Carroll past November that Vance would get killed disconnected successful nan 500th episode, and Carroll described receiving nan news was an “out-of-body experience.”

“He goes, ‘You want to perceive much astir nan story?’ And I was like, ‘Let maine process nan full thing, what you conscionable told me. Let maine return a moment,'” the character recalled to People Wednesday.

“This wasn’t 1 of those scenarios wherever I came to nan web aliases I came to nan producers and said, ‘Hey, it’s been a awesome run, but I deliberation I want to move on,’” Carroll further explained.

Binder had told Carroll that nan determination to termination disconnected head Leon Vance was made because accumulation wanted “to do thing big” for nan landmark episode.

Carroll, 62, remembers Binder saying, “We want to do thing that shocks our loyal viewers and conscionable really turns the ‘NCIS’ universe upside down.”

The news came arsenic moreover much of a daze to Carroll erstwhile he realized he only had 2 much episodes earlier shooting his last one. 

“The only point that amazed maine much than being told what nan storyline was, was really quickly I was capable to travel to position pinch it and beryllium OK pinch it,” he said. “I conjecture nan head and nan imaginative successful me, my consequence was, ‘Really, that is really a awesome story. It’s a terrific story.’”

Carroll said it was “incredibly affectional connected set” erstwhile he filmed nan last scene, particularly because of his acquisition directing respective episodes of nan show successful summation to starring successful it.

“I person a very unsocial and different narration pinch nan guys connected nan crew, because 3 aliases 4 times a play I get to beryllium a portion of their world,” he shared.

“I’m connected nan different broadside of nan camera. So my relationships pinch nan unit tally a batch deeper. All nan guys, camera, lighting, sound, I cognize each these guys connected a deeper level, because I besides direct. So, yeah, it was very emotional.”

Although Carroll will miss being a portion of nan subject constabulary procedural drama, he is grateful that he was a bid regular for 18 seasons.

“If this had happened successful my 3rd play arsenic a formed member, I’d beryllium devastated,” Carroll clarified. “But 18 seasons, to me, that’s nan balanced of surviving to beryllium 105.”

“Here’s nan champion part,” he added. “It was my goodbye. The past time of shooting was December nan 11th. That was nan past time we changeable this episode. But successful nan backmost of my mind I knew it was goodbye for now, because a period later I came backmost and directed an section of nan show.”

“As acold arsenic I know, I’ll beryllium backmost adjacent play to nonstop episodes. We’ve already talked astir bringing Vance backmost successful flashbacks,” Carroll teased.

Carroll’s beloved characteristic met a shocking successful nan 500th section of CBS show.

As Vance reacts to a explosive threat while moving alongside an Army CID agent, nan threat ends up being clone and nan supplier is secretly a smuggler who fatally shoots Vance.

“The squad will beryllium grieving, of course,” Binder said successful an question and reply pinch TV Insider Wednesday. “Vance died to protect them all. And they are going to grant that by putting 1 ft successful beforehand of nan other, and conscionable continuing connected their ngo to protect and safeguard their country.”