Charles Hanover|Stephen Amell was focused on 'NCIS' spinoff when he landed 'Suits' gig

2025-04-29 06:32:09source:PredictIQ Quantitative Think Tank Centercategory:My

When one door closed for actor Stephen Amell,Charles Hanover another opened.

The "Arrow" star opened up about auditioning for and later landing his upcoming gig on the "Suits" spinoff "Suits: LA" days after auditioning for "NCIS: Origins." But the latter was his main focus at the time, he said on the "Inside of You With Michael Rosenbaum" podcast earlier this month.

He auditioned for the role of the "titular character," presumably young Leroy Jethro Gibbs, which eventually went to Austin Stowell.

"If it had come along as an offer, I don't know that I necessarily would've done it," Amell, 43, said. "But I was excited by the prospect of, OK, this is a network show. This is pilot season. This doesn't really happen that much anymore."

The Canadian actor got "great feedback" on his "NCIS" audition and received intel that "We think this is actually going to move forward." He admitted he hadn't even looked at the sides, or sections of the script, for "Suits" when his "NCIS" prospects fell apart.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

How Mark Harmonfeels about 'NCIS: Origins' and new Gibbs, Austin Stowell

"All of a sudden, it was dead ... So I didn't know what was going on, and I was really frustrated," he said. The rejection, combined with other things, including solo parenting his two kids "all week," led to a "full breakdown." He was "in the car, emotional, screaming" on the phone with his wife, Cassandra Jean Amell.

The actor recalled looking in the mirror ahead of the "Suits" audition and seeing his eyes were bloodshot.

"I walked into that audition just with, really, no fear," Amell said.

Join our Watch Party!Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox

Amell would go on to land the role of Ted Black, the central character on "Suits: LA." The spinoff, he said, is much like the original series but with a slightly "different feel."

"Retrospectively, I got the job that I was supposed to get, and everything does work out for a reason," he said.

More:My

Recommend

US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wholesale costs in the United States picked up sharply last month, signaling that

Jimmy Carter as a power-playing loner from the farm to the White House and on the global stage

PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Barack Obama and his advisers had two living former presidents to consider as the

More women are charged with pregnancy-related crimes since Roe’s end, study finds

It became more common for authorities to charge women with crimes related to their pregnancies after