When “NCIS: Hawai’i” airs tonight, it will quietly make a bit of franchise history — via guest star Kurt Yaeger. The episode will complete Yaeger’s full sweep of all four “NCIS” editions, which is believed to be the first time that an actor has appeared on every version (“NCIS,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “NCIS: New Orleans” and “NCIS: Hawai’i”) in completely different roles.
“Given how long these franchises have been in existence, there will inevitably be some crossover with actors,” said CBS talent and casting exec VP Claudia Lyon. “We don’t have statistics on how often that happens, but I wouldn’t be surprised. There are many actors out there who do one or two of them. But what makes Kurt unique is that he’s done all four.”But here’s what’s also notable: Yaeger is an actor/writer with a disability, having lost his part of his left leg in a 2006 motorbike accident. And he’s utilizing his acting and writing notoriety – including this “NCIS” record — to help champion opportunities for other performers with disabilities as well.
That includes the notion that actors with disabilities don’t only have to play characters with disabilities. On Monday’s episode of “NCIS: Hawai’i,” he plays MSgt. Strand, the father of Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey), in flashbacks. “The ‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ character has nothing to do with disabilities,” Yaeger noted. “It’s starting to change where people are like, ‘well, you can play any character.’ I’ve always been able to play any character. 95% of acting is from the chest up!”
Yaeger first appeared in the franchise on “NCIS” in 2014 as former Marine Sgt. Freddie Linn, who lost the use of his legs when a shattered body-armor plate hit his spinal cord, but later started a successful skydiving business. On the episode, he helps federal investigators to find the source of faulty body armor sent to overseas troops. In 2019, he guest starred on “NCIS: New Orleans” as Kevin Simms, a law enforcement officer “dealing with a life-altering injury.”But Yaeger’s most extensive appearance was on “NCIS: Los Angeles” in five episodes between 2016 and 2017, where he played a charming military vet and leg amputee named Sullivan. But later he was revealed to be the rogue CIA officer Ferris, seeking revenge against Kensi Blye.
“The characters were all completely different,” Yaeger said. “They had different vibes, different attributes and different means.”
Lyon said there was no grand plan to cast Yaeger in all four “NCIS” editions, “it’s just sort of the perfect storm. A lot of things that have come into play. First of all, Kurt starts with talent. He’s got this tenacity and perseverance where he is able to create opportunities for himself… and we’ve got producers who like Kurt, and have been interested in working with him after they saw what he could do the first or second or third time on a show. You’ve got casting directors who are really invested in Kurt as well. He’s a talent, so we want to support him. It’s pretty remarkable that he’s doing all of them.
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