NCIS: Origins’ New Mike Franks Actor Details The Lengths He Went To To Look Like Muse Watson
NCIS: Origins star Kyle Schmid details the his process for transforming into the character of Mike Franks. Arriving on CBS in just under two months, the upcoming prequel will be narrated and executive produced by original NCIS star Mark Harmon. Taking place in the 1990s, NCIS: Origins focuses on the younger years of Leroy Jethro Gibbs (played by Austin Stowell). It will also examine Gibbs’ relationship with his mentor Franks, who is played by Being Human star Schmid.
In an interview with TVLine ahead of the debut of NCIS: Origins on Monday, October 14, at 10 PM ET on CBS, Schmid gave a detailed response about the process of transforming into Franks and “evoking” the character originated by Muse Watson. In the quote below, the actor talks about Franks’ distinctive mustache. But he also touches on wearing contacts for his eyes, to match Watson’s, and speaking differently:
“To me, the specifics were holding true to some physicality — and the mustache is one of those things. I think it sets him apart, I also think it’s very period. And the Franks character that was so well rooted in the original series, in my opinion, kind of ‘stayed’ in 1991. So it only felt right to have the mustache at that time.”
“I convinced the producers to let me wear dark brown contacts, because when you’re filling the shoes of somebody like Muse — not filling the shoes, but evoking — you want all of those things. If I look in the mirror and see Kyle Schmid when I’m about to walk out of my trailer, it’s not the same as looking in the mirror and seeing somebody completely different that you built from the ground up.”
“Every single day from 7 o’clock in the morning when I arrive, to 6 pm, 8 pm, 10 pm when I leave, this is what I do. I stay in character from the beginning of work to the end of work.”
