Rocky Carroll Pulls Double Duty on NCIS — Acting and Directing a High-Risk Undercover Episode
Rocky Carroll stepped behind the camera again for the January 23 episode, “Big Rig,” while still playing Director Leon Vance — marking his 21st time directing the series.
This time, the team dives into a dangerous trucking-company crime ring after an injured friend of Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) appears and vanishes. To crack the case, Torres goes undercover as a long-haul trucker, pulling NCIS into one of its most action-heavy missions.
Carroll says the change of setting — a truck stop underworld — helped remind viewers the job is truly life-threatening, not just office banter and investigations. The standout moment for him: a quiet heart-to-heart inside the truck cab that reveals the humanity behind the badge.
He also teased more personal development ahead for Vance, including a growing partnership with Parker (Gary Cole) and even the possibility of romance returning to his life — something the widowed director hasn’t had in years.
For Carroll, episodes like this balance what NCIS does best: action, character depth, and the constant reminder that every mission could be their last.