Caleb Foote as Bernard “Randy” Randolf in NCIS” ORIGINS – Season 1 – “Darlin,’ Don’t Refrain” | ©2025 CBS/Erik Voake|
In CBS’s NCIS: ORIGINS, which airs Mondays and then streams on Paramount Plus, Caleb Foote plays Special Agent Bernard “Randy” Randolf. As the series opens in 1991, Randy is part of the Naval Investigative Service (not yet the Naval Criminal Investigative Service) at Camp Pendleton, where he serves as a mentor to young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stovell).
Foote’s Randy was originally a recurring character, but Foote was promoted to series regular by Season 1, Episode 14. Foote has previously been a regular on MADE FOR LOVE and THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT; other credits include AMERICAN HORROR STORY and AMERICAN CRIME STORY.
NCIS: ORIGINS, which has its first-season finale Monday, April 28 and has been renewed for Season 2, was created by showrunners Gina Lucita Monreal & David J. North as a prequel to the network’s long-running NCIS to chronicle the early career of Special Agent Gibbs. Gibbs was played by Mark Harmon on the original series, who narrates NCIS: ORIGINS; he’s also an executive producer on both shows.
At a Q&A session during CBS’s portion of the Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour, Foote notes that the fame and longevity of the original NCIS means he doesn’t have to explain his new job to anyone. “For me, it’s so easy to explain the show that I’m on. I’m not on PHANTOM SHIP, this doesn’t exist in an alternate reality, it doesn’t require this huge explanation. I just say, ‘Oh, I’m on NCIS: ORIGINS,’ and immediately you know what that is.”
At CBS’s subsequent party for the TCA, Foote makes himself available for a follow-up conversation.
Foote explains that he was not wholly caught up on the original NCIS when he became involved with NCIS: ORIGINS. “I watched a little bit of it when it first came out, and then it’s always on TV, so if it’s on, I’m always clicking it. But I was never a super-fan. I’ve become a massive fan after I started auditioning for the role and diving into it. But my grandparents watched a ton of it, and so, that’s also why it’s so special, because it’s one of the shows that they watched, and they’re with me [through that connection].”
NCIS: ORIGINS – Season 1 Key Art | ©2025 CBS
Unlike Gibbs and some of the other characters in NCIS: ORIGINS, Foote’s Randy does not exist in the earlier series. “Willem Dafoe plays him. No, I’m kidding. I have an amazing opportunity to create a character from the ground up. And everyone from our producers to our creators, even our costume and props department have been so enthusiastic and helpful in that creation, from picking everything from my holster to the sunglasses I wear. It’s just been so specific, and so cool to create someone.”
Foote was not even born in 1991, the year of NCIS: ORIGINS first season. Is he intrigued by any of the ‘90s aspects of the series?
“Oh, yeah, definitely. What’s so great is, the ‘90s are kind of hip and in right now, especially in fashion, and I don’t mind at all. I love a nice pair of loose-fitting pants. And the music is great, the music is making a huge comeback. And I think VCRs should make a comeback.”
Has Foote had to learn anything in order to play a Navy investigator?
“We had extensive training with this awesome former [Navy SEAL], Kevin Kent, who was at Camp Pendleton during the ‘90s. We did a boot camp with him, as well as a bunch of our stunt guys. Stunt coordinator Buddy [Sosthand] is amazing. And then we have Leon Carroll Jr., who wrote two books, GHOSTS OF HONOLULU and GHOSTS OF PANAMA, with Mr. Harmon. Leon has just been this immense resource. He was the top NIS agent at the time.
Caleb Foote as Bernard “Randy” Randolf in NCIS” ORIGINS – Season 1 – “From the Ashes” | ©2025 CBS/Erik Voake|
“We have them on set the whole time, so whenever we have a question, they answer it. Whenever they have something to input, it’s always welcome. So, we’re making it close to accurate, but if it’s [completely] accurate, then it can’t be totally entertaining. So, it’s still a TV show, but it’s honoring that division of the Armed Forces.”
Foote says he was totally fascinated when the NCIS: ORIGINS company was taken on a tour of the real Camp Pendleton.
“My grandfather served in the Marines, he was 27th Battalion, Fifth Division, and so it feels like a special honor to play an investigator in the same compound that my grandfather served this country.”
Is there a particular tone Foote would say that the makers of NCIS: ORIGINS have asked him to maintain as an actor?
NCIS: ORIGINS – Season 1 Key Art | ©2025 CBS
“When I booked the job, I reached out and said, ‘Hey, should I be watching NCIS? Do I have a bunch of binging ahead of me?’ And they said that it wasn’t necessary, because what we’re doing is creating a legacy for something that already has such a massive legacy. They have this fresh, blank canvas. They know where it ends, and that’s where Gibbs’s journey begins, or that’s where you catch him in the first NCIS.
“But NCIS: ORIGINS a little darker, it’s a little sexier – the word that’s been thrown around is ‘prestigeral’ [a combination of ‘prestige’ and ‘procedural’]. So, it’s character-driven, and you see the baggage that people take home with them. It’s not so much, ‘Solve that case, what’s next?’, it’s, ‘I solved that case, holy cow, that case affected me. Okay, we’re going to solve this next case. Oh, I’m still affected, and I’m going through these real-life human situations.’”
While NCIS: ORIGINS is Foote’s third gig as a series regular, he says, “This is definitely the most anticipation and the most excitement for any job that I’ve ever had. I’ve never come onto a show with a built-in fan base. My other roles, I’ve been a more comedic character.”
While Randy isn’t comedic per se, Foote relates, “I did MADE FOR LOVE on HBO MAX. Ray Romano was in it, Cristin Milioti was in it. It was a very dark world, and my character added a certain amount of levity twenty episodes on that show – so I think I’m pretty well-equipped for what this is going to bring.”
Caleb Foote as Bernard “Randy” Randolf in NCIS: ORIGINS – Season 1 | ©2025 CBS/Art Streiber
This is in terms of pace, and also, “Even in an investigative setting, the tensions can get high, but it’s keeping a level head, and a levity, and an optimistic point of view, while simultaneously being very capable. The character of Randy is very capable. He’s not just a funny nerd, he’s a very good agent.
“That’s what Gina and David were so adamant about, and that’s why I’m so excited about this role, because it’s not just playing one single note, not playing the punchline. I’m the guy that’s helping Leroy Jethro Gibbs turn into the amazing detective that he is when we see him in the pilot.
“There are a lot of large personalities in the show, and with these large personalities, there can be a lot of friction. Randy doesn’t create any friction. As a matter of fact, Randy will relieve some friction between people. And so, it would be less quirky, more just levity that, when you have that reprieve, you’re just, ‘Whew.’”
Foote has high praise for creators/showrunners Monreal and North. “They have an exceptional take on telling Gibbs’s story. Because these guys are so equipped, and they’re so passionate, it’s great on-boarding for new fans, it’s a great place to start for new fans, and there are so many Easter eggs for returning NCIS fans.”
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