NCIS star breaks down the shocking death in the show's 500th episode, revealing the emotional goodbye after several seasons.
gave a shock to fans when a key character made the ultimate sacrifice. After 18 seasons protecting the agency he led, Director Leon Vance died protecting NCIS from being dismantled from within. Now, the actor behind the character,Rocky Carroll revealed that the conversation about his character’s death with showrunner Steve Binder came unexpectedly in mid-November after a day of filming.
“The middle of November, I believe, is when our executive producer, our showrunner Steve Binder, came to me after a day of filming and said, ‘So the 500th episode of NCIS is coming up, and we want to do something big… that shocks our loyal viewers and just really turns the NCIS universe upside down,’” Carroll told Binder explained that someone was working behind the scenes to “obliterate the agency,” forcing Vance to step in and uncover the culprit. Then came the news, “in the process of saving the agency, director Vance would lose his life,” Carroll recalled Binder as saying. “I remember sitting there for a minute and having this out-of-body experience,” Carroll said. Binder asked if he wanted to hear more about the story, but the actor needed a moment. “Let me process the whole thing, what you just told me.” What surprised Carroll most was how quickly he accepted the decision of Vance’s death. Unlike actors who initiate their departure, this wasn’t his choice. After learning he had only two episodes left before filming his final scenes, Carroll found peace with the storyline. “I guess the director and the creative in me, my response was, ‘Really, that is actually a great story. It’s a terrific story.’” He credits NCIS’ enduring success, as evidenced in Vance’s death, to themes of justice. “People still like simple justice. There are good guys, there are bad guys, and at the end of the hour the bad guys get brought to justice.” Carroll and Binder shared a common goal. Their “biggest concern” was to translate the energy to people watching from their homes.Devanshi Basu is an Entertainment and Pop Culture Writer at Evolve Media, where she channels her love for cinema, internet culture, and all things trending into sharp, engaging stories. Whether she’s unpacking celebrity buzz or decoding the latest film happenings, she brings a deep understanding of digital culture to every piece. When she’s not writing, she’s probably buried crafting stories behind the camera.Johnny Depp was recently spotted filming a mysterious new movie, which has just gotten some of its first details. What…Vertical has shared the official trailer for Brothers Under Fire, its newest action thriller starring Golden Globe winner Kiefer Sutherland.…More than a decade after adapting Cinderella into a live-action movie starring Lily James, Disney is now officially developing another…Amid the wave of content leaving Netflix next month, all seasons of a popular vampire-horror series are also exiting the…One of Universal Pictures’ critically acclaimed sci-fi adventure movies from 2024 has officially been added to Peacock‘s library. The film…Hulu subscribers can now finally watch Neon’s critically-acclaimed 2025 drama movie starring Predator: Badlands’ Elle Fanning. This comes nearly a…Fans of NCIS have started to worry about the show’s future. Questions about NCIS ending have suddenly increased after a…Australian actress Rachael Carpani has died at the age of 45. A family member broke the news about her tragic…A longtime NCIS cast member has responded to growing speculation about their possible exit from the long-running CBS series. In…NCIS: Tony & Ziva Season 1 ended with an explosive finale filled with unexpected twists and turns. Showrunner John McNamara…
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