VIDEO: NCIS Star Chris O'Donnell Visits CBS THIS MORNING

NCIS: LOS ANGELES star Chris O'Donnell said that the opportunity to direct an episode of the show was a "great new experience for me," in an interview that was broadcast live today, Feb, 19, 2013 on CBS THIS MORNING on the CBS Television Network (7:00 AM-9:00 AM). O'Donnell told co-hosts Gayle King and Charlie Rose, "going in and being able to tweak the scenes and kind of bring out the performances you're looking for and find the special beats is what was really exciting for me." Check out the appearance in full below!

Below are excerpts from the interview.

KING: So tonight is the premiere episode as we start a new season. And you're directing.

O'DONNELL: Yeah. I finished directing an episode that's going to be on March 5, which was my first time directing. Great new experience for me. A whole new appreciation for how many people work on the show. I mean, it really is – as an actor, you kind of think it's just the crew that you see on the set every day. And suddenly when you're directing, you have your two weeks of pre-production and – meeting everyone in the office, that sort of thing. The post-production, which was a great experience, getting to go in and, you know, you see the kind of basic assemblage that an editor's put together. But going in and being able to tweak the scenes and kind of bring out the performances you're looking for and find the special beats is what was really exciting for me.

ROSE: Did it feel good, like something you would like to do?

O'DONNELL: Absolutely. This is such a great opportunity to have that experience. It's – being allowed into a really special workshop. It's different than if I went and directed on an independent film or something I created, because you have a lot more artistic leeway. You could do kind of whatever you wanted. Here we've got a real framework. The show works a certain way.