Cote De Pablo Recalled The Most Enjoyable Aspect of Her Time on NCIS

Cote de Pablo was a fan favorite during her eight years on “NCIS,” and many fans were heartbroken when she left. While her return four years later in Season 17 was supposed to provide closure, it only encouraged fans to hope for another storyline. While de Pablo was coy when asked if Ziva would return for “NCIS” Season 18, she never did, and now that Season 20 has arrived, it appears more likely that her four-episode arc was simply a second, more permanent goodbye for the character.

Most of the long-running “NCIS” actors will be eternally grateful to the show. Michael Weatherly, who played Cote de Pablo’s just-out-of-reach love interest, Tony DiNozzo, said that his character allowed him to be the hero of the story, the goofball, and other characters who were not himself. “I got to do Jerk-style Steve Martin comedy and wild-and-crazy-guy comedy. I got to be Cary Grant, James Bond, and Indiana Jones “He revealed this to TV Insider. “I got to chase bad guys, dive into water, and sh0ot my gun while climbing up a building. Then I’d go into the interrogation room and do something strong and dramatic. That is something I will be eternally grateful for.”

While Weatherly was able to live out his innermost character fantasies on “NCIS,” de Pablo’s most rewarding part of her time on the show was a little more personal.

She enjoys being recognized and showered with affection.

Despite officially leaving “NCIS” in 2013, fans around the world know and love Cote de Pablo for her role as Ziva David. “I think the most rewarding thing, really,” she said during a BUILD series panel, “is to be showered with a lot of love.” She went on to say that when people recognize her, they freak out, and that no matter how hard she tries to hide her appearance, she is still approached. “I believe that because the character is a little bit of a badass, I’m always approached with a lot of respect because I believe that a lot of people think they’re approaching the character.”

She is proud of how “NCIS” viewers embraced Ziva, and she enjoys playing a strong female character who people can look up to and admire. She also stated that the best rewards she has received from a show in which she spent eight years cultivating a beloved character are “the level of love, and then certainly, obviously, the experiences and the people that I’ve worked with.”