Plus, the 'NCIS: Los Angeles' star dishes on Callen's dilemmas in the current season of the hit CBS show.
Chris O'Donnell is getting some cool dad points thanks to Netflix. ET's Matt Cohen spoke to the NCIS: Los Angeles star on Thursday about the current season of the hit CBS show, and he also opened up about a younger audience seeing him a new light thanks to his work on Grey's Anatomy.
The ABC medical drama is getting a whole new fanbase thanks to streaming on Netflix. O'Donnell played Finn Dandridge in seasons 2 and 3, and said he wouldn't be opposed to a possible guest appearance should it be the final season of the long-running series.
"My daughter’s friends are watching it for the first time and so all the sudden they're excited that I was on Grey's Anatomy," he shares. "It's like, oh my gosh it's so ... I hadn't thought of it, but for them they're just living it for the first time, so I suppose crazier stuff has happened, so we'll see."
"I have to be honest with you, I don't even know where we left my character," he adds. "I have no idea what the circumstances [are]. I know that we didn't end up together, she didn't choose me."
O'Donnell has a sense of humor about playing a vet on the show, who tried to woo Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), though she ultimately chose Derek (Patrick Dempsey).
"Yeah McVet, I don't know. Am I still a vet? That is the question," he muses. "Maybe if I became a real doctor she'd be more impressed, I'm not sure."
The actor has nothing but great memories of his time on the show, specifically, of working with Pompeo 15 years ago.
"Ellen was fantastic," he recalls. "You know, it was kinda fun to be on that show. It was an eye opener for me... On a movie you do it and they live on for years or, you know, it may not come out for another year. TV, you film it and a few weeks later it's on the air and it airs and the next morning, everyone has seen it, you know, and the immediacy of that was pretty overwhelming. But it was a show that was just blowing up and it was exciting to be a part of it."
O'Donnell is no stranger to being a part of long-running hit television shows. He's currently on season 12 of NCIS: Los Angeles, and gave ET a preview on what's to come for his character, agent Callen.
"He's definitely got some issues in the relationship department," he shares. "All I know is, in this upcoming episode on Sunday, he's going to be using his, what he thinks is his current girlfriend ... as bait to rescue his old girlfriend. He has gotten caught up in this whole Russian mess. Callen himself has been accused of being a Russian spy and yeah, he's challenged on the romantic side for sure."
The 50-year-old actor talked about his incredible run on the show and what it's meant to him personally -- specifically, when it comes to raising his kids with his wife, Caroline Fentress. The two are parents to five children -- Lily, Finley, Charles, Maeve and Christopher Jr.
"It's been amazing," he said. "It seems like it's gone by very fast, but I know when I look at my kids, how young they were when we started. I still had kids in diapers and they're all, you know -- some of them are adults now. It's been amazing, but I think that from an acting standpoint it's been fantastic, because the development of these characters and the richness to the storylines. You know, it does raise the stakes and it does lead to more emotion and that sort of thing."
"But purely from a personal life, it's been unbelievable," he continues. "As an actor you know...you're a gypsy. You're moving around and you're living in different parts of the world and you're looking for your next job. To have a steady bit of work here while my kids are in their formative years, it's been a great gift. I know I'm very grateful and I think most of our cast has been as well to have, you know, to park ourselves here for a while and work on this amazing show."
NCIS: Los Angeles airs Sundays on CBS.
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