In an interview for Parade Magazine prior to the character's departure, Duane Henry described the role of MI-6 agent Clayton Reeves as something he naturally "gravitated towards" when he saw the description for the character. This could be due to Henry's own difficulties during his childhood of growing up without money, which he also discussed in the interview. Henry viewed Reeves as a loner who was generally uneasy, mostly thanks to his difficult childhood.
"[O]bviously, he still has this uncertainty. It's in his DNA, Henry said. "Because he grew up fostered and shipped around a lot when he was young, he always has that iceberg feeling."
During the show's 15th season, Henry felt that his character was finally becoming comfortable among his new home and new "NCIS" family. This was especially the case with Gibbs, as Henry felt that Reeves could finally find common ground with someone he viewed as a fellow "lone wolf."
Henry's opinion on Reeves is a bit sad in retrospect, as it feels like the character was just beginning to let down his defenses a bit more and gel with the team. However, given his heroic death in the series, maybe that was another way to show that Reeves finally considered his teammates to be his family.
