NCIS' Katrina Law Finds Jessica Knight's Lighter Attitude Really Refreshing

The world of the "NCIS" franchise is an intense one. When your job is the investigation and prevention of crime in the United States Navy and Marine Corps, that's probably to be expected. Fans of the series know that their favorite characters are equal to the task, and that's most definitely true of Jessica Knight (Katrina Law).

Though she's still a relatively new addition to the NCIS team in Washington, Jessica has already become a beloved character. Law has previously spoken about how her own personality matches that of Agent Knight, especially in the way they have kept their lighter side hidden at times. "I can't help but feel that she has a goofy side that she is barely able to keep under wraps, and that's pretty much how I feel every day of my life," she told CherryPicks in March 2022.

When Law sat down with Parade a few weeks later, she discussed the fact that the show's writers had been giving her more chances to show her easy-going side, something she's clearly grateful for. "I think there is a lightness to Jessica Knight that is a new version of a female," the actor said. "I think that's also what's refreshing for a lot of the fans is that Jessica isn't trying to be a new Bishop or a new Ziva or a new Kate. She's her own new character."

Compared to those characters, Knight is actually pretty easy going. Eleanor Bishop (Emily Wickersham) very quickly established herself as a perfectionist at NCIS. Mossad liaison turned NCIS field agent Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) was intense, and so was Sasha Alexander's Kate Todd.

Katrina Law has attributed some of her character's newfound lightness to her recent discovery that Knight's father is also part of NCIS. "This is her world," the actor said during her Parade interview. "This is where she's supposed to be, and this is where she belongs. She's very comfortable in these shoes. There's nothing else that she would rather do."

However, Law was quick to clarify that, even though her character is more fun and good-humored these days, she is still very much a serious and committed agent. In fact, she compared Knight's attitude to that of Mark Harmon's Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. "Her approach is very much go by the book as much as you can and if you have to go off, do it and ask forgiveness later, a little bit Gibbs-like," she said.