NCIS: Diona Reasonover shares joining 15 seasons in and getting a backstory for Kasie

The NCIS fall finale tonight will bring in a backstory for Kasie. Diona Reasonover has been excited for fans to see this and teases more about it while sharing what it was like to join the series 15 seasons in.

Diona Reasonover has stepped up to the challenge of taking over Abby’s lab on NCIS. It was never going to be easy, but she fits the bill perfectly. And yes, ask my husband, I definitely called her taking on the challenge from the very first episode she was in.

Taking time out of preparing for Christmas, Reasonover shared more about what’s to come for Kasie and reminisced about getting that call to come onto the series full time. This week is the NCIS fall finale, but it’s a big one for Kasie. We’ll finally learn more about why she chose forensic science and life with her family.

Check out the exclusive interview with Hidden Remote below and get ready for plenty of laughs.

Hidden Remote: I am so excited to learn more about Kasie’s backstory in tomorrow’s episode.

Diona Reasonover: I’m really excited to see it too. I’ve honestly never done anything like this before. I mean that truly. I’ve never done a show like this and certainly never done an episode like this.

I’ve been fortunate enough to be on other series, but I don’t think I’ve ever been fortunate enough where I’ve had a backstory. Like “now, we’re learning about this character.”

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HR: So, what can you tease about tonight’s episode?

Reasonover: Basically, a case comes in and as soon as Kasie sees it, it’s a little too close to home. She remembers why she’s doing this and you get to learn why she became a forensic scientist, how she got into it so quickly because Kasie is young.

You’ll also get to find out more about her family. Her family, they’re not forensic scientists.

HR: Will we get to see flashbacks of her past?

Reasonover: It’s not flashbacks but you get to watch Kasie relive these feelings. Something big happened to her and she never processed that. She just dove straight into work.

I get to share a lot of this episode with Brian Dietzen [Jimmy Palmer], who is such a good actor. He’s passionate and he’s funny in real life and on screen. You get to watch Kasie with Jimmy process all these feelings that she’s never felt before.

HR: He’s a good one to process the feelings with, too.

Reasonover: He is! And Brian is such a great one on set. Like I said, I’ve never done anything like this before. I was really nervous but I really couldn’t have asked for a better scene partner.

HR: Will Ducky be part of this? You came in with Ducky and shared this bond that was just awesome. They’re complete opposites but it’s so fun to watch.

Reasonover: I would love if there was a little Kasie and Ducky stop-motion animation series. I think it would be so funny because she’s moving and chattering a mile-a-minute. He’s just like “oh, this reminds me of the time…”

HR: What was it like coming into NCIS with such a passionate fan base?

Reasonover: I was definitely nervous when I started. When I came in, the show had already been on for 15 seasons and everyone was big hitters. When you look at everyone’s credits, you’re like “wooh, these are some major actors here.” Everyone was so kind and welcome from top down, from Mark [Harmon], Maria [Bello], David [McCallum], everybody.

I’ve told this story before, but it’s true. David was kind enough to call me after my episode premiered to tell me what a good job I did. He’s a real sweetie and a pro.

HR: He’s the reason I started watching the show from the beginning because of The Great Escape. My mum had it on and I was like “nooooo!”

Reasonover: Most people say The Man from Unkle. I watched that and we both always get to fan out.

HR: Haha, that’s so funny! I mean, when you came in, he was the guy to have by your side. We’d just found out Abby was leaving and looking for clues as to why she would leave and who would become the next one to run the lab. Did you have any idea that was going to be you from that first episode?

Reasonover: You certainly hope you’ll get the chance to continue the work you started. When I walked on that set it was fun. But, you never know. I’m still relatively new to the industry both on screen and stepping in after Pauley [Perette].

When I got the call, I was like, “Really? You promise?”

HR: I admit, I called it from day one. I’d written an article on a now-closed site that brought up the argument for you filling this gap.

Reasonover: Aww, thank you!

HR: Without Abby, the show needed a bubbly, quirky character and you fit the bill instantly.

Reasonover: Well, you and my mom called it from day one. I love her so much. When they sent out a press release, I showed her it and she sent it back with corrections. She wanted something about my childhood and to use my full name the whole time.

HR: Aww, she’s a proud momma.

Reasonover: She is proud and I’m proud of her, too.

HR: What was the conversation like with the showrunners when they wanted to bring you on full time?

Reasonover: At first it was Frank [Schenck] and George [Cardea] when I first started and now Steven [Binder] is one of the showrunners. It was very easy with all of them. They all had ideas for the character and were confident in the character and that made it easy for me to be confident in the character.

HR: Do you get much say in how this character is developed or trust the writers and producers to do their jobs?

Reasonover: To be honest, they keep giving me good stuff. A lot of people have asked me that because I have an improv background but they give me gold. When they give me stuff, all I have to do is step up to the base and punt.

That’s probably not the best sports analogy. I don’t know a lot about sports. My wife is in the other room like “What, are you saying? Just swing, don’t punt!”

HR: What has been your favorite episode so far?

Reasonover: I really love the first episode I got to do. Getting to meet everyone was great.

I’m really excited about tonight’s episode. Scott Williams [writer for the episode] did a beautiful job.

If I’m allowed to say three, I also really loved the episode where the prisoner was excited, the Vietnam episodes. That was another really beautiful episode.

HR: They’ve been on the ball this season with these types of episodes. So, the set looks like a bunch of laughs. What’s it been like on set?

Reasonover: I have this really clear moment where Kasie is assessing the job full time. That morning, I, as Diona, got the contract for the show full time. So they announced that Kasie got the job and they announced that I got the job. It was cool.

I was shaking hands with Rocky [Carroll] and looking over at Mark. I was like, “This is amazing!” It was just so cool.

HR: Life mimicking art mimicking real life.

Reasonover: Oh yeah, that smile you see on my face is very real.

HR: If you could have any storyline moving forward for Kasie, what would you love to see happen?

Reasonover: I would love to see Kasie start a board gaming group. I would love that. Jimmy would be totally on board (no pun intended) and I think Torres would be so annoyed because he’d pick some ridiculous German-style, take-an-hour-to-set-up board game.

HR: Oh, I could see Torres pretending that it’s not cool and then being completely into it.

Reasonover: Oh, 100%.

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HR: And then you’ve got Gibbs.

Reasonover: Oh, Gibbs would blow in with, “We’ve got a case.” Then, without knowing any of the game, he’d make one move and win it entirely.

HR: I need that episode now!

Reasonover: I’ll let them know!

What are you looking forward to learning about Kasie tonight? Which storyline involving her have you loved the most so far? What do you think about a board game element to an episode? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

NCIS Season 16’s fall finale airs tonight at 8/7c on CBS.