“It’s a constant pressure”: This NCIS star still has no interest in taking over Michael Weatherly’s job even after more than 20 seasons.

“Navy CIS” (short: “NCIS”) is not only one of the most successful but also one of the longest-running series ever: For 20 years now, the crime series—originally launched as a “JAG” spin-off—has been running on TV, following the investigations of the titular Naval Criminal Investigative Service. And not even the departure of its former figurehead, Mark Harmon, has been able to diminish the popularity of “NCIS.”

Only recently, the 22nd (!) season of the CBS hit premiered in the USA, and in addition to the main series, five spin-offs now exist. So fans certainly can’t complain about a lack of content. And for those who still can’t get enough of the “NCIS” universe after watching the latest episode or binge-watching whole seasons, there is also the podcast “NCIS: Off Duty”:

In it, Cote de Pablo (Special Agent Ziva David) and Michael Weatherly (Special Agent Anthony “Tony” DiNozzo) look back at individual episodes of the show once a week. They also regularly invite other NCIS actors into the studio to talk about their experiences filming the cult series.

Recently, Joe Spano was also a guest on NCIS: Off Duty (you can listen to the full episode on Spotify). While the 78-year-old may not be one of the first names that comes to mind when you think of NCIS, fans are definitely familiar with his face — and not only that: he even holds a record!

Joe Spano holds an NCIS record …

Spano appeared as Tobias Fornell in 58 episodes spread across all seasons of NCIS. This makes him the only actor who has appeared in every single season since the series began — and the most frequently appearing star who is not part of the main cast. But why did Spano remain in a supporting role rather than try to move into the spotlight?

Weatherly wanted to know the same thing — and received this answer:

“I didn’t want to do what you did. It wasn’t so much about the time, but about what it does to you. […] It’s hard to explain, but you transform yourself by embodying a character who isn’t really you. […] That’s not who you are, but you feel obliged to live up to that image for your work. By playing this role over and over again, you lose sight of who you really are.”