Most notable for leading Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift, arguably the most distinctive entry in the decades-long franchise, Lucas Black then went on to excel in the realm of TV, thanks to his years-long stint in NCIS. Following his debut in NCIS as agent Christopher LaSalle, the Fast & Furious star soon became a regular in its spin-off, New Orleans.
But even though his stint in NCIS exceeded his expectations, the actor parted ways with the IP during New Orlean‘s penultimate season over work-load issues.
Lucas Black’s Commitment to NCIS Took a Toll on His Personal Life
While Lucas Black has spoken fondly about his experience in NCIS, by the sixth season, the actor stressed that his years-long commitment to the show became overwhelming as it impacted his personal life. Black, whose NCIS counterpart was killed off in episode 6 of season 6, Matthew 5:9, further expressed his desire to take a break from showbiz, and it wouldn’t be until his stint in F9 that the actor finally opted to return to his roots.
He shared (via X):
The show has been so good to me over the years exceeding my expectations and goals, But this job isn’t easy for me, there are a lot of priorities in my life that get sacrificed for me to be here but it’s time for me to focus on those priorities in my life.
Although it was a bummer to see him depart from the show, at the very least, fans of LaSalle did get some closure, which can’t be said for some other NCIS characters who were booted from the show without any proper explanation. Moreover, in one case, things got pretty ugly behind the scenes.
The Fast & Furious Producers Have Been Eyeing to Bring Back Lucas Black for Years
After taking some years off from the realm of showbiz, Lucas Black marked his bombastic return to the Fast & Furious franchise, in which he served a crucial role in launching Ludacris to space.
Speaking of his return, the Legion star revealed (via EW) that there “was always talk of bringing my character back”, which concluded with him being brought back for a cameo in F7 and then in F9.
There was always talk of bringing my character back… I think the producers and writers and studio realized that the fans really wanted to see the Fast family and everyone that was involved, the hero characters, united in the same movie.
Although Black wasn’t present in the last installment of the franchise, he is open to entertaining future calls for Fast & Furious, adding that he’ll give the script a shot if ever offered one.
NCIS: New Orleans is available to stream on Paramount Plus.
