“I adored it.” I had the opportunity to perform large cable work, explosion pullbacks, ground landings, and concussion exercises. It was fantastic. You know, that’s why people pay attention! About NCIS: Sydney, actor Todd Lasance comments. He is correct. With 20 US seasons under its belt, NCIS has been a ratings darling for CBS, inspiring the spinoffs NCIS: LA, NCIS: New Orleans, and NCIS: Hawaii. It’s time for a small view from across the Pacific, which Lasance claims splashes on the screen as Sydney Harbor.
“Our HQ is literally on Sydney Harbour… we open the doors and look to the right and the Harbour Bridge is above us.
“I know people say it’s priceless but you can’t put a price tag on that kind of view. Then we’re shooting with the Australian Navy on their bases, on the aircraft carriers. We were in the Seahawk helicopters, on the battleships, on the base with Navy personnel.”
Indeed the new series by Endemol Shine Australia lets the boys and girls play with big toys all in the name of naval investigation and security down under.
“We used the Rural Fire Fire Brigade HQ command (which they use for) a statewide bushfire operational command. It looks like a war room and we had 150 Naval crew in there,” Lasance continues.
“Stepping onto these bases, we all had to get clearances and go through the security checks. It was next level!
“This is actually happening!”
“One shot in particular comes to mind. I’m piloting the helicopter with Mackey (Olivia Swann), and we’re on the deck of this enormous aircraft carrier. From our Seahawk chopper, we can see the Harbour Bridge in the distance to the left, and we can’t believe this is actually happening. Everyone is wearing full gear, including helmets for sound protection, as a helicopter soars in on top of the carrier. It’s amazing to stand beneath the helicopter at 20 meters above the ground and feel the blades almost strike your face. They haven’t resisted.
Lasance, whose credits include Without Remorse, Spartacus: War of the Damned, True Spirit, Rescue: Special Ops, The Secrets She Keeps and Bite Club, plays AFP sergean Liaison Officer Sergeant Jim ‘JD’ Dempsey, thrown together with Former Marine Corps Captain turned NCIS Special Agent Mackey (Olivia Swann) when an American Submariner dies during a ceremony, marking the AUKUS agreement.
“We’ve got two sides clashing and that creates the friction”
But it’s not a welcome partnering, which differs from the unity that often exists in procedural investigation teams.
“Usually it’s ‘here’s your family and we’re gonna go on the journey’, whereas we’ve got two sides clashing and that creates the friction,” he continues.
We have those moments when we bump into each other and make sure the other person stays alert. The series is also laced with these tender, sensitive moments and poignant components. We gain some understanding of their motivations for existing as they do. They depend on one another and save each other’s life. That makes for the ideal dynamic, and the cast is among the best I have ever worked with, I promise. It feels as though my own family has grown.”
Together with Tuuli Narkle as AFP Constable Evie Cooper, Sean Sagar as Special Agent DeShawn Jackson, William McInnes as Forensic Pathologist Doctor Roy Penrose, and Maavournee Hazel as a young Forensic Scientist Bluebird “Blue” Gleeson round out the ensemble.
“He’s always paying her out, talking about ‘my jurisdiction’”
“JD is a dream role. He’s a country boy, the larrikin of the show. He’s kind of the comedic relief and the clash with Mackey, who comes in all business-like. She’s the maverick of the series and JD is breaking down her walls, and he ribs her all the time. He’s always paying her out, talking about ‘my jurisdiction,’” he explains.
“There’s cultural clashes between the Australianisms and the Americanisms and all that sort of stuff. But he grew up as a school teacher, and then ends up joining the AFP. He’s the head negotiator so he’s the leader. But obviously, the NCIS team is having to work side by side, to form a new kind of unit, which is a unique part of the show.”
Lasance also tackled all but one stunt in character.
“All the Spartacus training and the SEAL training I got to deal for Without Remorse and Black Site, comes into play. But I also like to do the stunts, because they get to use the shots. They don’t have to cut around those intense reactions. And then Liv who played Mackey kicks arse. She’s a weapon. She was stunt training, fire training, doing extracurricular stuff. She would finish on set, go straight to the stunt gym, do her fight training. We’re all hitting the gym, making sure we’re physically on point!”
“The enemy could be within”
In addition to the weekly crimes, creator Morgan O’Neill has woven in a further threat, if somewhat shrouded in mystery, across the 8 episodes.
“There’s an overarching enemy that could be embedded. So the enemy could be within. But there’s also an enemy that’s operating on a far bigger scale than what we realise. That’s the core of where our series goes and the finale episode heavily relates to my character too. It comes to a real head and the threat is on a huge scale,” he warns.
“If you’re really paying attention and you watch each episode, they start layering it in, and you start putting the dots together.”
After its World Premiere in Australia, NCIS: Sydney is fortunate enough to win a network screening on CBS next week. Are the writer / actor strikes to thank for this profile scheduling? Lasance isn’t sure but grateful for the exposure.
“All of our contracts are obviously local through MEAA, a local production company, through Paramount+ here. There was nothing relayed to us, initially, in the process. All of our deals are local and obviously, that’s why we had the SAG clearance when the strike happened,” he continues.
“The strike… in a weird way, it’s kind of helped NCIS: Sydney”
“The strike has reduced how much content is being put out, particularly on a global scale. So in a weird way, it’s kind of helped NCIS: Sydney and the franchise itself, because they’ve created an entire series that’s been allowed to shoot and continue production. I think it was us and the Game of Thrones spin-off in London.”
Naturally, a second season will depend on how well it does both domestically and internationally, but Lasance hopes that Australians will be proud that a homegrown series made it to US network television. That might result in more episodes and, eventually, more casting calls.
It provides access to opportunities that you wouldn’t normally have. It gives you greater freedom to pursue the roles you truly want to pursue and to pick and choose. It’s all about the heat, but castings can get a little political when there’s not enough heat. Because you don’t have the profile at the moment, you can lose out on jobs, he warns.
“I feel the pressure”
Lasance adds, “There’s such a massive following for NCIS, but I feel the pressure. I hope that they love the new series but the Australian audience is tough to win over sometimes. So I hope they’ve got a sense of pride to it. It’s shot here… local production, all local crews, Australian directors. Olivia and Shaun are from the UK, but everyone else’s Aussie on board.
“So we’re hoping that Australia then gets behind it.”