For the O'Donnell clan, "NCIS: LA" has been a family affair for some time. Throughout the decade and a half of naval crimes, Chris O'Donnell's other four children all had their time to shine in their father's television series. Charlie and Finley O'Donnell both had the chance to play young versions of Callen, while daughter Lily played a young version of Amy in Season 1. Season 7 not only brought his daughter Maeve to the forefront as Natasha, but O'Donnell's real-life wife Caroline played the character's mother. Only the oldest child of the former "Batman & Robin" actor had, until now, not had a chance to contribute — though it wasn't for a lack of trying.
R. Scott Gemmill explained to TV Line that "[Chip O'Donnell] was supposed to play Callen in a flashback, and then COVID came along..." The pandemic stopped the eldest O'Donnell from following in his brothers' footsteps as a young Callen, but Gemmill would not be deterred. Determined to include every O'Donnell, they finally found a way to bring in the remaining family member just in the nick of time. "[A]ll of Chris' other kids had appeared on the show except Chip, so I said, 'OK, I'm running out of time, I've got to throw him in the last episode.' It was a nice little homage to Chris," Gemmill noted.
