Suits: L.A. star Stephen Amell recently revealed that he was almost part of an entirely different network spinoff series. The actor shared that he auditioned for the role of young Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS: Origins just two days before he tried out for the Suits spinoff.
During an appearance on the Inside of You With Michael Rosenbaum podcast (via TVLine), Amell opened up about the busy week, revealing that his “actual focus that week was on an audition that I had on Wednesday [for NCIS: Origins]. It was playing the younger version [of Leroy Jethro Gibbs],” a role which ultimately went to Austin Stowell. He shared that he “was excited by the prospect of, OK, this is a network show. This is pilot season. This doesn’t really happen that much anymore.”
Amell recalled to Rosenbaum feeling like “the audition went extraordinarily well. I got great feedback.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be, with the former Arrow and Heels headliner revealing that he “found out on Thursday afternoon, after getting not just good feedback, but, like, good intel, like, ‘We think this is actually gonna move forward,’ all of a sudden, it was dead, and I felt like someone, somewhere along the line, had, like, cock-blocked me… So I didn’t know what was going on, and I was really frustrated.”
Stephen Amell Used the Loss of NCIS: Origins to Fuel His Suits Audition
Amell noted that he “hadn’t looked at the sides for Suits L.A. yet” before finding out that NCIS: Origins was going with someone else. Losing out on the role of young Gibbs caused Amell to have a “breakdown” on the way to his Suits audition the next day (Friday). However, after a difficult week, which caused Amell to get “really mad,” the actor used those emotions to fuel his performance at the Suits audition.
“I walked into that audition just with, really, kind of no fear,” Amell said, noting that he “tried to be a lot looser and more spontaneous than I think probably a lot of other people were, because this guy’s a lawyer. This guy’s supposed to be the smartest guy in the room, but, concurrently, I just figured everyone was going to be stone-cold serious, so let’s just have a little bit of fun.” Amell’s idea to have a bit of fun with the audition clearly worked as the actor was announced as the lead of Suits: L.A. in February 2024. “Retrospectively, I got the job that I was supposed to get, and everything does work out for a reason,” Amell concluded.
Suits: L.A. was created by Aaron Korsh, the creator of Suits. The Los Angeles-based spinoff series is set at a law firm specializing in criminal and entertainment law. Amell portrays Ted Black, a former federal prosecutor from New York who has reinvented himself by representing the most powerful clients in Los Angeles. His character has also been described as “a charismatic force of nature who puts his own needs above others.” The cast also includes Josh McDermitt (The Walking Dead) as Ted Black’s long-time friend Stuart Lane, Lex Scott Davis (The First Purge) as strong-willed rising young lawyer Erica Rollins, Troy Winbush (9-1-1) as private detective Kevin, and Alice Lee (My Adventures with Superman) as young associate attorney Leah.