NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 3 brought back a beloved NCIS legacy character, Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard, in a touching tribute to the late David McCallum. And amid this episode, actor Adam Campbell, who originally played young Ducky on NCIS, recalled McCallum's valuable advice.
Campbell reprised his role as young Ducky, and it surely was an emotional journey for him to revisit an old friend. There was no better way for showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal to honor McCallum than by centering this NCIS: Origins episode on Ducky and including original music by the late actor. Don't go on reading without a box of tissues by your side.
NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 3 had a very special soundtrack
David McCallum was a man of many talents. Apart from being an incredible actor who rose to fame in the '60s for his role in the TV show The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964–1968) and bringing to life the beloved Ducky Mallard on NCIS from its very beginning, in 2003, until his last appearance in the NCIS season 20 finale, "Black Sky," McCallum was also a proud musician.
He inherited it from his parents. His father, David McCallum Sr., was first violinist for the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and his mother, Dorothy Dorman, was a cellist. We're glad he traded his music career for studying acting at RADA. Otherwise, there'd be no Ducky, at least not the way David McCallum played him.
North and Monreal included three of McCallum's songs in their tribute episode, and even named it "The Edge," after an original composition the actor created in 1967. While recording his opening and closing lines for the episode, Mark Harmon told the showrunners that "there was no greater way to honor David [McCallum] than to put his music [in], because David felt so passionate about his music."
Adam Campbell remembered the advice David McCallum offered him amid the tribute episode
I hope you're not out of tissues quite yet. Adam Campbell said in a recent interview with TV Insider what an honor it was to reprise his role as young Ducky and recalled his memories about David McCallum when he first portrayed the young version of the medical examiner on NCIS.
Campbell remembered how McCallum would sit with him on set, talking about everything under the sun over lunch. McCallum told Campbell to find his own way to portray the character, not mimic him in any way. He just reminded the young actor that Ducky is "a calmness in the mayhem" and told him "not to be afraid to find the comedy in Ducky."
NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 3 included some of McCallum's original 'props' from NCIS
The tribute to the great David McCallum doesn't end here. The episode also featured some of the NCIS original items that the actor used. One of which was quite easy to spot — or was it?
At the beginning of the episode, Dr. Magnus tells his assistant not to forget his hat. In fact, he grabs it from the clothes rack and throws it to young Ducky, while the latter says he'd be quite lost without it. Indeed, Campbell would’ve been quite lost without the very hat that David McCallum wore throughout his NCIS appearances.
The bag, too, was an original prop. And the place itself, the mothership autopsy room, where McCallum spent over two decades giving life to the warm, wise, and charming Dr. Mallard.
As NCIS: Origins continues to explore the beginnings of iconic characters, episode 3 stands as a heartfelt reminder of David McCallum’s legacy. Through music, memories, and the gentle humor he inspired, the show ensures Ducky Mallard — and the man who gave him life — will never be forgotten.
NCIS: Origins airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c on CBS.
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