NCIS season 14 will start without Michael Weatherly, who portrayed Anthony DiNozzo, after 13 years of working in the hit police procedural series.
With the inclusion of new cast members, most notably Wilmer Valderrama, who will portay Special Agent Nick Torres, fans cannot help but speculate that his role is to fill the gap made by Anthony's character.
Valderrama disputed those claims in the panel at San Diego Comic Con. "Weatherly had a fantastic journey with the show. The truth is there's no shoes to fill, I'm definitely wearing my own," he said.
His character's back story is characterized as a "once grounded NCIS field agent who accepted a deep cover assignment years ago and never resurfaced. Many agents don't know he's still on the job or that he's even alive. Now, he's back and his dedication to job and country has left him an unpredictable, charismatic loose cannon."
He had a case in South America where he was forced to go deep undercover and severed all ties and communication with NCIS to not risk exposure. Despite his vigilance, Nick's cover was blown and he returned to Washington to relay his mission and the possible threat that looms with it.
In an interview by BuddyTV with Valderrama, he dubbed himself as a "lone wolf" who is unstable.
"He returns from the shadows and can't find himself at ease, can't find himself at home, can't find himself comfortable. He's someone who's been living a double life for a long time. He only knows how to do things one way, and that is based on his own instincts. He's going to be presented with a different dynamic, and that's not going to sit well," he said, describing his role as Nick.
NCIS season 14 will premiere on September 20 at 8 p.m. on CBS.
