{"id":244875,"date":"2026-06-07T23:07:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T23:07:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/07\/mariel-molino-reveals-how-she-cut-the-tension-with-costar-austin-stowell-before-ncis-origins-kiss\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T23:07:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T23:07:21","slug":"mariel-molino-reveals-how-she-cut-the-tension-with-costar-austin-stowell-before-ncis-origins-kiss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/07\/mariel-molino-reveals-how-she-cut-the-tension-with-costar-austin-stowell-before-ncis-origins-kiss\/","title":{"rendered":"Mariel Molino Reveals How She Cut the Tension With Costar Austin Stowell Before \u2018NCIS: Origins\u2019 Kiss"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Mariel Molino<\/strong><\/a> is pulling back the curtain on her creative process, revealing how she cut the tension before kissing her NCIS: Origins<\/em><\/a> costar Austin Stowell<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like a giddy little 13-year-old, and I think we were all nervous because it\u2019s been so much leading up to this moment,\u201d Molino, 33, exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> while walking the 2026 Tony Awards red carpet<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s been, like, two years, and then the final moment of season 2, we finally kiss, and I think everyone \u2013 including myself, Austin and the rest of the crew \u2014 were all nervous. It\u2019s like the first day of camp!\u201d<\/p>\n

For the uninitiated, on the May 5 episode of the NCIS<\/em> prequel, the Camp Pendleton office was in danger of being shut down. In an effort to save the office, members of the team considered different future possibilities, including Lala (Molino) who weighed a potential move to be closer to Manny. Her contemplation took Gibbs (Stowell) by surprise.<\/p>\n

In the episode\u2019s final scene, Gibbs arrived at Lala\u2019s house, where they finally shared a kiss.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Tony Awards 2026 Red Carpet: Stars Bring Glamour to Broadway\u2019s Big Night<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tThe biggest stars on Broadway traded the stage for the red carpet at the 2026 Tony Awards. Host Pink joined the 79th annual awards show\u2019s nominees, presenters and performers at Radio City Music Hall in New York City for the Sunday, June 7, event. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Enter your [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIn the foreseeable future, we can enjoy the ride a little bit and see what happens,\u201d Molino previously teased to Us<\/em> regarding her character\u2019s budding romance. \u201cRomantically, I would say, however, that I know the writers love a curveball.\u201d<\/p>\n

While taking in the 2026 Tony Awards<\/a> on Sunday, Molino revealed how she got over those pre-kiss nerves with Stowell, 41.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOh, we both went out and had a cigarette and a Diet coke,\u201d she said, laughing. \u201cA cigarette and a fridge cigarette, that\u2019s what we did. We were like, \u2018Ok, this is happening, we need to, like, cut the tension here real quick.\u2019 And then it was great. You can see it for yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now that she has an on-screen kiss with a fellow cast member under her belt, Molino is also sharing with Us<\/em> what she hopes to achieve next in her acting career.<\/p>\n

\u201cOK, so I got my first fight this year, which is a first for me,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019d never done such a complicated action scene, but next year I want, like, a knife fight. Like, I want to pull out a knife from some corner of my body that you don\u2019t see, and I want to just, like, have a knife fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

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