No one would blame Mark Harmon, who's 72 years old, if he wanted to take things easy after coming off the immense success of "NCIS." But the actor continues to buck trends by showing he still has a lot of passion and still has stories he wants to tell. While "NCIS" provided consistent, reliable work, it also meant he was often too tired to do anything else. He explained to People, "I think for the longest time I was just tired, to be honest. My workload was heavy every week. I took it seriously, and there were a lot of people there who did the same. I miss the camaraderie, the lunches at the tables and hearing about people's families and what they're doing away from the show. But it's a job."
While Harmon occasionally misses the "NCIS" set, it's safe to say his old co-workers miss working with him, too. Throughout the show's run, his co-stars sang Harmon's praises and how much they loved working with him. But the most important thing these days is Harmon having a chance to spend more time with his family. While he's worked on his new book, he's also had time to just kick back, "I've got time to do whatever I want to. I can plan a dinner with the boys, we can take a trip. I'm so fortunate, I don't ever wake up not thinking that."
"Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor" comes out November 14. After that, anything's possible for Mark Harmon.
