Before the start of Season 20, Brian Dietzen posted a picture of Jimmy’s glasses on Instagram with the comment, “Let’s do this,” referencing how he was stepping into character once again. That’s how recognizable his signature spectacles are.
“My wife pointed out one time when she came up to set … and I put the glasses on, which I don’t wear at home,” says Dietzen. “She looks at me and says, ‘Man, it really is the glasses. That changes a lot.'”
Those glasses have been a staple in Dietzen’s “NCIS” wardrobe since Season 1 — and the actor has actually owned them even longer. “I got those glasses when I was 15 years old, and I’ve had them for almost 30 years now. I put them on and it’s a little trigger that I can feel Jimmy Palmer taking over a bit,” he says. “They’ve become so iconic for the character.”
Just how did his own glasses get involved in the show? “I had an audition for a one-day guest star on ‘NCIS’ in the first season, and I wore reading glasses at the time, but I couldn’t find them anywhere. I went and got my backup glasses, which were these little Harry Potter-type glasses that I got when I was 15 years old … that were the same prescription. I was like, ‘Okay, I can read with these, so I’ll put them on.’ I went into the audition, and I booked the role and they said, ‘Bring those glasses with you.’ So I did. Then they said, ‘Can you come back next week?’ I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Season 20 of “NCIS” airs Mondays on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/PT and is available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
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