Duane Hicks
Former Fort Frances resident Trevor Torseth was seen by millions of television viewers last night, playing a role on the latest episode of the hit CBS drama, “NCIS.”
“‘NCIS’ was a big win for me,” Torseth said in an e-mail from his L.A. home.
He played the role of the bartender, Al Parker, in last night’s episode, entitled “Devil’s Trifecta.”
“The episode [was] directed by Arvin Brown. He won a Tony in the ’70s, which was important to me having come from the illustrious stage at the J.A. Mathieu Auditorium,” Torseth said, referring to a production of “Bye Bye Birdie” at Fort High.
“The audition went like any other, only this one ended with Arvin saying, ‘Great read, Trevor,’” he recalled.
“I was the first guy in the room and it was fun leaving, walking by the other actors knowing where I’d set the bar.
“Truthfully, with just his tone and sincerity, I knew the part was mine,” Torseth added.
“Well, I was 99.9 percent sure,” he conceded. “You never know when you might lose a job to a producer’s cousin’s mechanic.”
Torseth said working on “NCIS” definitely was one of the highlights of his career so far.
“I had a great conversation with the show’s writer, Steven D. Binder, backstage about writing for television, which he related specifically to the character he had written being played by a kid from Fort Frances,” he noted.
“Arvin Brown was amazing and the entire cast and crew [was] incredibly welcoming,” Torseth added.
“It all starts at the top and [‘NCIS’ lead actor] Mark Harmon is a gentlemen in the truest form.
“I was snacking on almonds out of his personal tin while we all sat around shooting the whatever between takes,” he recalled.
“I have to say having a scene with Joe Spano and Mark was a bit of a clinic,” Torseth admitted.
“I have a tendency to go too big and these guys bring it with the simplicity and subtlety of seasoned vets.
“At one point, Mark Harmon leaned over and asked me if what he was doing was working for me. I just about fell over,” said Torseth.
“Then I proceeded to say a bunch of stupid things about how much that meant to me.
“Fortunately, I’ve gotten a little better with my rip cord with age,” he quipped.
Torseth said he keep saying to himself they’re going to bring him back as a Navy SEAL in a future role on “NCIS,” but no phone calls yet.
“I mentioned it backstage but I guess they forgot,” he remarked.
Despite his appearance on the award-winning “NCIS” and brushes with notable actors, Torseth said he “is pretty much the same” guy who grew up in Borderland.
“You can’t take the Fort Frances out of the man,” he reasoned.
In 2011, Torseth appeared in episodes of “An American Horror Story” (“Murder House”) and “Ringer” (“She’s Ruining Everything”).
He also was in episodes of “Look” and “Chuck” in 2010.
Torseth also has appeared in several feature films (“NoNAMES,” “Lake Dead,” and “Trail of Blood”), as well as plays, shorts and commercials.
Torseth’s mother, Barbara Asplund and stepfather, Mike Asplund, live in Fort Frances.
His dad, Bill Torseth, and stepmother, Linda Torseth, reside over in International Falls.
