To helm such a high-stakes weighty episode, it only makes sense to bring in a man who knows television production inside and out: LeVar Burton. He’s been a household name for decades, known for his roles in Roots and Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well the beloved host of educational program Reading Rainbow. But starting with TNG, Burton began to move from a chair on the bridge of the Enterprise to the director’s chair. He’s helmed episodes across four different Star Trek series, but has also lent his talent to shows like JAG and Scorpion. And that’s what led him to the shores of Hawaii, ready to direct the new series’ biggest episode to date. Read on for our interview with LeVar Burton. NCIS: Hawai’i airs on a special day and time on Sunday, Jan. 23 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, following the AFC Divisional playoff game on CBS. NCIS: Hawai’i is not your first foray into NCIS, as you directed several episodes of New Orleans starting in 2017. How did you get involved with the franchise? Two words: Scott Bakula. Scott and I knew each other from his time on Star Trek: Enterprise, where I directed some episodes. NCIS was looking to expand the rotation and find other storytellers. And Scott made sure that they took a look at me. And from that grew all of this. What are your overall thoughts about working with such a big franchise as NCIS, given your own experience with franchise work? I love the franchise. I love the storytelling. I love being able to tell stories on this large canvas. On a touchstone network show, you have a lot of freedom in terms of the tools that you have. You have to work fast, but you have everything you need. The crew I worked with in Hawaii is one of the best I’ve ever worked with in my 45-plus years in the show business. I love the cast. I think they’re terrific. Vanessa Lachey is a wonderful addition to the franchise, especially as the first woman to be the leader in one of these shows. It was a great experience for me. How do you handle stepping in to direct an episode in a franchise like NCIS, where there is so much previous story and character already set up? As the outsider coming in, it’s part of the job to find a way to fit in and do your job—be effective. And I think that’s something that I also do fairly well. I’m not a shy personality; I have a lot of energy. And I have a big presence on any set I’m directing. I’m an Army brat. I grew up going to different schools and moving to different neighborhoods, cities and countries throughout the course of my life. So these are just survival skills that I’ve developed over time. The job of a director of episodic television is to tell the story the way the writers and producers want you to. That’s the gig. And if you can’t do that, you need to find something else to do. I fit very well into that sort of framework. As a storyteller, I’m pretty confident in my various skills as an actor, writer, director, producer, podcaster or public speaker. I feel very comfortable wading in all of these waters. And what’s important to me in my life is that I give myself the opportunity to express myself in all these different modalities. What do you enjoy about working specifically on a procedural like NCIS: Hawai’i, as opposed to something like the Star Trek franchise? The deal of a procedural is you’ve got a formula and you don’t have to mess with it. For the most part, the cast of characters is really established. So you don’t have to spend a lot of money or time on exposition. The audience knows the rules of the road. And so what you’re bringing them every week is a further exploration of these people that hopefully they have become attached to and are invested in coming back to see on a week to week basis. And character is one of the things that I excel at as a storyteller, bringing out the best in the characters in the story and their interactions with each other. I think that’s part of what I bring to the table. Speaking to that, how much do you use your experience as an actor when directing other actors on set? I think that that language in common with actors is really important. That’s a big arrow in my quiver as a director. They know I’ve been in their shoes, and I understand the problems they are trying to solve in the pursuit of finding the truth in their jobs. That listening here is important. When I speak, I speak with experience. The episode you directed deals with espionage, which is a bit of a deviation from the usual crime-solving on the show. What was it like to lead this special episode? It’s fun! Earlier in the year, I had done an episode of Leverage: Redemption, which is its own version of a procedural. And it was also an episode that happened to be about international intrigue and spies. We’re so familiar with the genre, going back to The Man from UNCLE to James Bond. We all have this sort of underlying foundational understanding. And so, in the modern context, these espionage spy thrillers are just that larger than life. It’s all with a wink and a nod in the minds of the audience who enjoys them. You can take them at face value, but you also see the opportunities for the winks in every act. Since this is the first part of a two-part episode, did you have to approach anything differently when it came to setting up those proverbial dominos for the next director to knock down? The great part about being a director of episodic television is that none of that is your job. As long as the writers set it up, I’m not going down. That’s the gig; that’s what the job requires. Being able to deliver on the promise of what the writers give you. And for me, that’s a lot of fun. While I’m sure filming in picturesque Hawaii was a dream, it was done during the pandemic. What was that process like considering how intimate a film or television set can usually be? There’s a process involved with all of the COVID protocols. At the end of the day, I don’t find that it gets that much in the way. Yes, we’re speaking to each other through masks. There are social distancing COVID protocols that require as little interaction with other crew members as possible. But we managed to get it done every day. Human beings are eminently adaptable. Motion picture professionals are some of the most creative people on the planet. I don’t have higher praise than calling you a motion picture professional. And in that creativity, we just work it out. So it’s been a bit of an obstacle, but it hasn’t stopped the show, by any stretch of the imagination. I’m really grateful that we have figured out how to safely continue to work, tell these stories, and do our jobs. Talk to me more about working with the crew. Because like you said, even with COVID protocols put in place, I would imagine they’re a well-oiled machine. This is the first season of NCIS: Hawai’i, and this family has already coalesced. Vanessa has done a terrific job of establishing herself as a caretaker presence for both the cast and crew. They have this thing in Hawaii called “ohana.” That stuff is real, that open-hearted authenticity. That’s a real part of the islands. Frankly, I hadn’t spent a whole lot of time there. This was certainly the longest amount of time I’ve ever spent in Hawaii. I feel from the crew itself, from the native-born people who have found their way into the business of storytelling on the islands. They’re wonderful people and immensely proud and dedicated to their craft. And like I said, working with motion picture professionals doesn’t get better. I’m more comfortable on a film set than I am almost anywhere else on the planet. It’s what I’ve been doing since I’m 19. Working in an industry where it’s generally the best of the best, and I have the opportunity to work with the best and the best of the best. It was pretty extraordinary. Next, see the adorable first pictures of former NCIS star Emily Wickersham’s new baby.
