Brian Dietzen plays the role of Jimmy Palmer on the CBS hit show NCIS. He was called on one day to play a guest star role as an assistant medical examiner. Nine years later he still got a part of the show recently and was signed on as a series regular. Brian and I talk about NCIS, what can you expect from the tenth season this fall, and his movie that he produced called Congratulations.
Art Eddy: NCIS is a show and the cast has great chemistry. You came on the show back in 2004. How did you come to play the part of Jimmy Palmer?
Brian Dietzan: I got a good call when the former assistant medical examiner was shot in the shoulder which was part of the story. and therefore they needed to come and be filled. And then I would only be there for one day. I had a guest star one day and I think that’s what a lot of actors dream about. When you enter for one day the guest star always think I hope it will be leave it open and I Mark Harmon. He makes a point of going up to every guest star we have and sitting down and chatting with them. He does not do it, because he is bound to do it. It’s just putting it that way. It’s very inclusive and we’re very happy that we’re ten years into this show, wow it’s been a whole decade. Everyone really gets along well. Everyone really likes what they do for a living. We are truly, truly blessed.
AE: I recently saw that you were promoted to series regular on the show, which is going to be in its 10th season. Congratulations on the promotion. How was the message?
BD: Oh, it was really great. It was very cool. Gary Glasberg is our current show runner. He did a fantastic job of pushing the Jimmy Palmer program to the front. Also to show what this guy (Jimmy Palmer) has been going through for the last couple of seasons. I really owe Gary a big debt for pushing Jimmy Palmer to where he is today. I think with the natural progression of the back story of the character, getting the deal, getting married, and all the stuff the network said, let’s make this guy work around for a weekly call to see if he’s free. It was really great and I was very happy to get the call.
AE: Speaking of your married character, I have to say that I loved the story arc where Jimmy came to his father-in-law’s NCIS building and it was great. How do they plot those arguments?
BD: It’s so cool. I read the script and thought oh what a joke. I got to the set and I didn’t know until I got to our pre-set that Larry Miller was going to play my father-in-law. I thought to myself, oh gosh. 1 from here. That should be great. It’s important and time is great. That’s really my favorite show I’ve been doing this last season. I really, really hope we get that guy (Miller) back. I think it was so much fun. He was really popular with the fans which also works in his favor.
AE: Is there a story arc for your character or a time that you will always remember or when the show is no longer on the air?
BD: Well, I think any time Jimmy Palmer gets to play more or have an opportunity to step in more than just when he’s Ducky’s assistant, that’s where Jimmy Palmer’s bread and butter is. Once I step in to step up and take on a little more responsibility, it makes a bit of a change to the character dynamic. We always look forward to that kind of stuff.
So the start of this season was really about that. It’s about Jimmy having to step in and get something because of what happened at the end of this last season (SPOILER ALERT), the whole team is going to be shaken up. So when Jimmy comes back, there’s a lot of serious business to be done. The first three narratives for this coming season were inspired to work.
AE: I enjoy the relationship you have with David McCall’s character, Dr. Mallard, do you have a couple of inputs on how the relationship should look in the series?
BD: Oh, absolutely. The writers do a fantastic job of seeing what the strengths of the scenes are and how they play out. They certainly write. We love what they give us. I think one of the most important things that David has done and is going to defend very much today is that this relationship will always be a positive learning experience with Jimmy and a collaborative experience for both of them. They can teach each other. So it’s not always all the time with Ducky to talk to Jimmy or correct him in everything.
Jimmy is going through his paces, but he has already learned and is very smart. David was very protective of that dynamic. I think it served the show well because if Jimmy still doesn’t know what the posthumous bruise is in season nine the dude should be fired. (laughs) So it holds a small amount of that simplicity to be referred to, but in the same place of learning and knowing where it comes from and not staying in one place.
AE: Looks like season 10 will have some great guest stars. One name that stands out to me is Billy Dee Williams. Tell us what we can expect from the new season?
BD: Yes, he (Billy) is going to be in the fourth episode tomorrow so we’re going to meet him later today at the table read. His name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs. I don’t know what’s going to happen too much about his back story, but in medal of honor a>. What is not too common in this country is someone who takes that as a fairly respected person. So I feel that it will make a lot of cool heavy and a lot of emotions not only for Gibbs but also for Gibbs’ father. I’m certainly looking forward to what they bring to the table. (Billy)
Add that we are just working with Michael Des Barres in the third episode. Before us we had Richard Schiff to reprise his role as Harper Dearing as a terrorist. It’s pretty cool that all this stuff is happening and we’re only on the third episode. It’s really cool that we don’t know when we’re going to have a guest star in an episode. We notify you a week ahead of time. The way it’s going now, I’m really looking forward to working with some great actors this year. Unfortunately I generally only get long and extended scenes with them if they die and are on the table. Let’s be honest, we’re not going to bring in Billy Dee Williams just to shoot him in the head. It’s not going to happen. If you have an awesome guest star in a big name actor, maybe you don’t bring him to lay him naked on the table to work on his guts.
AE: You also wrote a film called Congratulations. Tell me about the film?
BD: It was a labor of love that I shot last year. We finished post-production this year. It was a small film that I wrote with three of my friends and directed two of them. We had some really amazing talent come in and work with us on it. Kevin Rankin who is from Friday Light, Just, Unforgettable, came in and my best buddy played it. Debra Jo Rupp, mom from That ’70s Show, came in and played my mom. It was really a wonderful and chilling examination of marriage today and what marriage actually means to two different people.
The premise of the movie is that a guy asks his girlfriend to marry him. He asks why we are so happy. He sees marriage as a death sentence for the couple’s happiness. He sees it as the next logical step. What you can’t really do is change that bell once you’ve asked for it, and the repercussions that come after.
It was a cool trip for me, because the character for me was massively from Jimmy Palmer. It is very different from this sound. The situation is quite dark and quite serious. We look forward to having the premiere later this year. We look forward to hearing from a few different film festivals. I’m really happy that the other day we found some distribution so pretty cool. As soon as we have more info on it, we’ll let people know where they can buy and see it.
AE: Would you like to write and produce more films or write an episode of NCIS?
BD: You know I don’t know if I would like NCIS because to be honest we have such a great writing staff. I feel like if I try and stick my nose in there, you’ll lose yourself. it would be as if I could stick my hand in a fast and very efficient moving machine and tear off my arm. (laughs) In a good way though. Is it so that he was on a good road?
It’s cool to see some great actors that I want to emulate. Other CBS actors like Josh Radnor and Jason Segel who create crazy things while still working on hit television shows. They say They write and It’s nice to see that the culture of filmmaking has evolved to where the lines between TV director and actor are blurred. What it really comes down to is a good story teller and someone who can do it well. I’m really happy to see it.
I’m kind of trying to do the same thing. I can write in my spare time and can collaborate with other friends and produce short fiction. This will help me move my life outside of NCIS while still working every day at NCIS and still enjoying the hell out of it.
