How Some Bold Moves Helped NCIS’s Brian Dietzen Make Jimmy Palmer A Full-Time Role – Looper

While playing it safe for job interviews and auditions might be expected, sometimes being daring is the way to go. For instance, in the case of Brian Dietzen, making bold moves can unexpectedly turn a brief gig into a full-time career. As Dietzen revealed in a 2014 interview with Paul Semel, the actor decided to take some chances upon learning that his audition for “NCIS” was only for a one-day role. “…But what’s funny is that because it was just a one-day job, I decided to make some really bold choices when I auditioned,” Dietzen said in the interview. “And they liked it so much that it turned into a ten-year job.”

Dietzen never details what some of those bold choices entailed, but whatever gamble he took for the audition, it worked. Dietzen’s evolution from guest star to series regular became gradual after his debut in Season 1. Fans soon couldn’t get enough of the working relationship between Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard (David McCallum) and Jimmy Palmer. Per NCIS Fandom, by 2012, the actor finally appeared in the opening credits for “NCIS,” firmly cementing his place as a show mainstay. 

Further, in his interview with Semel, if the audition had initially been for a starring role on “NCIS,” Dietzen would have done things differently and probably lost out as a result. “… Had it been for a starring role, I would’ve had to test for the network, and if I had done that, I probably would’ve made different choices,” he told Semel. “And I probably wouldn’t have gotten the job.”