This story contains spoilers for the March 24th episode of NCIS.
NCIS is saying goodbye to a beloved character.
The crime procedural said goodbye to director Leon Vance (played by Rocky Carroll) on the March 24 episode, 18 years after the leader’s debut in season five. During the 500th episode, Vance dies in a shootout with a corrupt investigator and is welcomed into heaven by the late Chief Medical Examiner Donald “Ducky” Mallard (played by Adam Campbell).
So how does Carol feel about leaving the show? Well, it took him a few months to process his exit since he filmed his final scenes last year.
“I’ve known this since November when I was first told what was going to happen, so I was able to wrap my head around it and accept it,” he told Variety in an interview published March 24. “And the final scene where director Vance basically realizes he’s been talking to the Grim Reaper, the Angel of Death, and walks into the light was shot on December 11th.”
At this point, the 62-year-old feels he has come “full circle.”
“I think it’s a really great episode,” Carol continued. “I’m not just saying this to be a team player, but if a character has to be ejected, what is the method?”
