TMC
04-04-2025, 07:16 PM
We may never know.
However, the most likely reasons (https://www.quora.com/Why-did-Scott-Glenn-pass-on-playing-Gibbs-in-NCIS/answer/Jon-Mixon-1) seem to be:
Money - Glenn was a busy character actor at the time of NCIS’ development and casting stages - It’s likely that he wanted enough money to make it unnecessary for him to work on his hiatuses from the future NCIS and that may have been more than the series was willing to pay.
Glenn was never a lead on television - He did not have the hundreds of hours of leading television roles that the eventual winner Mark Harmon had, and that seems to have made the difference.
Looks - I can’t really judge men, but even I know that the ladies prefer them some Mark Harmon over Scott Glenn. (See below)
West Wing - Harmon’s story arc from the series West Wing seems to have been prominent in many people’s minds and it may have been the edge he needed over Glenn.
Glenn took three years off from acting starting in 2001 - Why this happened is not clear; however it was around the time that casting was starting for NCIS. Glenn may not have felt the personal motivation to fight for the role; or he may have felt that it was too limiting for a man of his skill sets.
Anyway…Mark Harmon was chosen, he remained in the role for 20 years, and he became exceptionally wealthy as a result.
However, the most likely reasons (https://www.quora.com/Why-did-Scott-Glenn-pass-on-playing-Gibbs-in-NCIS/answer/Jon-Mixon-1) seem to be:
Money - Glenn was a busy character actor at the time of NCIS’ development and casting stages - It’s likely that he wanted enough money to make it unnecessary for him to work on his hiatuses from the future NCIS and that may have been more than the series was willing to pay.
Glenn was never a lead on television - He did not have the hundreds of hours of leading television roles that the eventual winner Mark Harmon had, and that seems to have made the difference.
Looks - I can’t really judge men, but even I know that the ladies prefer them some Mark Harmon over Scott Glenn. (See below)
West Wing - Harmon’s story arc from the series West Wing seems to have been prominent in many people’s minds and it may have been the edge he needed over Glenn.
Glenn took three years off from acting starting in 2001 - Why this happened is not clear; however it was around the time that casting was starting for NCIS. Glenn may not have felt the personal motivation to fight for the role; or he may have felt that it was too limiting for a man of his skill sets.
Anyway…Mark Harmon was chosen, he remained in the role for 20 years, and he became exceptionally wealthy as a result.