‘NCIS’: Gary Cole Talks Parker & Vera’s Crossover Conflict and Team Secrets (VIDEO)

Gary Cole is a fan of scenes with conflict like we’re seeing between his and Rocky Carroll‘s characters, Parker and Vance, on NCIS right now. And fortunately for him, there’s some more of that, with the return of Roma Maffia as Vera Strickland, now retired, in the NCIS half of the Origins crossover airing on Tuesday, November 11.

“We annoy each other to a great degree, which was fun to play,” Cole tells TV Insider in the video interview above from a recent visit to our office.

As for what it will take to change that and the two to warm up to each other, “I think progress in the case is the only thing,” he says. “I would say it’s more one-sided. I would say I’m more annoyed than Vera is.

I think it’s a catch-22 for him because they kind of walk on eggshells about stuff and how much they want to reveal and how soon they want to reveal it. I would be honest and say that Parker is not somebody that has a long fuse,” Cole admits. “He gets irritated pretty quickly, and so that’s why they hold back things. But then there comes a point where they can’t. But then one of the things that irritates him is to not have information.”

Watch the full video interview with Gary Cole above about the crossover, Parker’s arc this season, and more teases about what’s coming up.