Despite the fact that Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly no longer play those roles on “NCIS,” fans still adore their interaction. DiNozzo receiving a punch from Gibbs was absolutely unexpected at first. Leroy Jethro Gibbs was portrayed by Mark Harmon for more than 400 episodes of NCIS. Before leaving the show in 2016, Michael Weatherly took part in 306 episodes. For 13 seasons, Harmon and Wetherly’s personas and personalities played off one another.
Gibbs’ signature head slap, often directed at Weatherly’s character Anthony DiNozzo, was never scripted. Harmon instinctively slapped Weatherly while filming season 1 to get him back on track, and it just stuck.
What is the signature ‘Gibbs Slap’ on ‘NCIS’?
NCIS fans spent more than 18 seasons watching Mark Harmon bring his character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, to life. Following his exit from the series, fans missed Harmon’s take on the character just as much as they missed his signature move, the “Gibbs Slap.”
The “Gibbs slap” is the name given to Gibbs’ propensity to hit his colleagues on the back of the head. Weatherly’s character, DiNozzo, was the most common recipient of the slap, but other colleagues were treated to it occasionally, too.
Mark Harmon’s ‘NCIS’ slap was completely off-script
Gibbs might have been known for slapping his colleagues upside the head on a regular basis, but the writing team never intended for it to happen. The very first head slap was not written into the script. Harmon once explained that the slap was an instinctual move he used to try to get Weatherly back on track while they were filming.
The Thing claims that when the early episodes of the series were being filmed, Weatherly deviated from the script, and Harmon smacked him on the back of the head. Weatherly played along with the situation rather than deviating from his persona. Fans adored the action, which was included in the fifth episode of the show. It was soon routinely included in episodes up until Harmon and Weatherly left the program.
Why did Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly leave ‘NCIS’?
Michael Weatherly and Mark Harmon have both departed the NCIS cast. While they walked away from the series seasons apart, they ultimately gave up their characters for the same reason. Following the end of season 13, Weatherly opted to leave the series. At the time, he said he was walking away from DiNozzo to pursue other projects.
After a little more than 18 seasons as Gibbs, Harmon quit the show in 2021. Harmon disclosed that he made the same decision to depart NCIS as Weatherly did. In order to experiment with new roles and work on new projects, Harmon quit the program. Additionally, he sought a better work-life balance because filming frequently required him to be away from his family. But that doesn’t imply that he would be opposed to a return.