Wilmer Valderrama’s character, Nicholas Torres, is the newest member of our favorite team at NCIS, and though Torres and Gibbs may clash heads in the bullpen, off-camera Valderrama was welcomed onto Mark Harmon’s team with open arms. Last week at San Diego Comic-Con, we spoke with Valderrama about his first experiences on set and what it was like to “jump onto a moving train,” something that he’s experienced before in his career. 

Speaking on what it was like to join a show that has already been on air for 13 seasons, Valderrama said, “Everybody from the crew, to most of the cast, have been there from the beginning. 13 years into it, you look at that and you go ‘Wow, that’s beautiful. I’m actually joining a family that’s this long-standing.'”

When it comes to his character Nick Torres though, Valderrama was ready to “light some sh*t on fire and break some sh*t up.” Speaking with the show runner, he revealed that he wanted to play a character who could “spice things up a little bit,” and he assures us that “they were more than game” to develop a character who could do just that. When we spoke with Valderrama, he had just finished shooting Day 5 of Episode 1, and he’s “already shot a guy off a motorcycle.” So yeah, we’re pretty sure he’s going to bring some spunk to the bullpen. “He’s likable, but he’s also scary and dangerous,” he said, describing Torres. “I am trying things I don’t think the show has ever really seen.”

Speaking of his initial encounter with Harmon on set, Valderamma said, “Mark showed me the ropes in an hour. In an hour and a half, we were laughing, and high-fiveing, and shaking hands after every take, and hugging, and being like ‘Wow, this is good.'” 

For the full interview with Wilmer Valderrama from San Diego Comic-Con, check out the video below and be sure to watch NCIS this fall when it airs on CBS.