Brian Dietzen, star of NCIS, opened up about Breanna Palmer’s d3ath and revealed that it was difficult for him off-screen.
Fans of CBS’ long-running procedural drama NCIS have seen a variety of characters d1e over the years. However, for Brian Dietzen, who played Jimmy Palmer, the d3ath of his on-screen wife Breanna Palmer (played by Michelle Pierce) had a personal impact on him.
Jimmy Palmer was dubbed the “autopsy gremlin” throughout the series for his outstanding work on the team.
Palmer was a doctor as well as the Chief Medical Examiner for the NCIS Major Case Response Team.
Jimmy was introduced to viewers in the pilot episode of the show, and he has since become a fan favorite.
Viewers were able to see his personal life, which included his marriage to Breanna and their daughter Victoria Palmer, in addition to his professional life (Elle Graper).
Jimmy and Breanna met at work and clicked right away because she was a mortician and shared Jimmy’s scientific interests.
The couple married in 2012 and eventually welcomed their daughter; because the NCIS team was also family, his coworkers were extremely proud of him.
However, Jimmy’s world was turned upside down during the season 18 finale when it was revealed that Breanna was no longer in the picture.
Jimmy kept canceling plans because he was needed at work, making Season 17 a particularly difficult year for the couple.
The following episode frequently shifted between the couple’s past and present lives, giving fans some backstory about their difficulties.
However, by the finale, which was shot during the pand3mic, it was revealed that Breanna d1ed from C0V1D 19.
When Jimmy explained to Agent Ellie Bishop (Emily Wickersham) why his mother had to move in, it was revealed.
“So the prospect of having Jimmy lose his wife, the most optimistic team member lose someone, came to the table, and they thought it would be a great storytelling mechanic albeit very, very sad,” Dietzen told Entertainment Weekly.
“So they went ahead with it,” he added. I was informed ahead of time and, I suppose, emotionally prepared for it.”
Off-screen, the actor revealed to TVLine that he found Breanna’s d3ath difficult: “I think it’s natural when you hit a near-d3ath that you start thinking about people who have gone before.”
“He’s left with his daughter, who means more to him than anything else, especially since it’s just the two of them, so Breena definitely plays a role in that.”
“She was lost to C0v1d and we didn’t see her [during that ordeal], so there’s definitely going to be a lot coming up for Jimmy, and a lot of it’s going to go in his subconscious,” Dietzen explained.
“And a lot of things he works out and talks about with his daughter, as well as with Kasie.”
“It’s a big, important thing for Jimmy, because so many people have lost friends and loved ones to this terrible pand3mic,” he added.
“We did this huge time jump in the middle of our previous season, and instead of having some teary-eyed bedside goodbye, which no one could do at the time [due to C0v1d measures], we did this.”
“They said, ‘We’ll just have him say goodbye for months and months,’ which was difficult. Oh my goodness, that’s a difficult task.”
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