NCIS star Sean Murray recently shared a memorable incident that left him with a permanent injury.
“Running through that car wash, which I did many times and was a real car wash, I remember taking a sharp right,” the actor recalled, referring to a scene from a Season 2 episode where his character was in pursuit of a suspect.
Murray elaborated, “My dress shoes slipped out from under me because I was sprinting. I landed on my right hand. Like many actors, we tend to just keep going without noticing the extent of our injuries until later. To this day, I have limited mobility in my right thumb. Thankfully, I’m left-handed.”
Murray has been part of the NCIS universe since 2003. Recently, the show became a family affair when his daughter Cay, 17, joined for an episode.
“I was incredibly proud of how she handled it,” Murray told Parade. “It was a new experience for her, but she handled it really well. If you see any of those promo pictures with us, you can tell how proud I was. I was grinning ear to ear in all of them. I’m really proud of Cay and what she accomplished.”
Reflecting on the milestone of the franchise’s 1,000th episode, Murray told Variety, “People might say, ‘Oh, you must be tired of playing the same character for over 20 years.’ But for me, my character has evolved along with the show’s growth. None of it has ever felt boring to me.”
He added, “We’ve been able to keep the same characters while telling different stories. We didn’t get stuck in a time frame where they can’t age. We’ve grown older, had kids, relationships, breakups, deaths — so I feel like I’ve been doing different things for 20 years. It hasn’t felt like the same old routine.”
Originally intended as a one-time guest star, Murray’s journey to becoming a series regular was unexpected. His stepfather, Donald Bellisario, the creator of NCIS, played a pivotal role in Murray securing the role.
“There was a one-time guest star appearance for a rookie agent,” Murray explained to TV Insider. “Don asked me if I wanted to do this.”
After an initially well-received episode, Murray found himself unexpectedly back on the show due to an episode running short. His character’s significant development in Season 1, Episode 19, marked a turning point that solidified his role as a regular cast member, making him the longest-standing one on the series.
