SECRETS AND LIES
Cote de Pablo drew on her considerable skills as a TV spy to make her surprise return to NCIS, writes Holly Byrnes
WITH 192 episodes of one of the world’s most popular TV drama series under her belt, it’s no surprise NCIS star Cote de Pablo has taken on a few of her character’s tricks of the trade.
Returning to play former Mossad agent Ziva David on the US police procedural after more than six years away, the 40-yearold says her spy instincts came back quick smart.
In fact, the subterfuge surrounding her fi rst day back fi lming was something straight out of the show’s script.
“The producers kept my return very much a secret, they didn’t tell anyone,” de Pablo says.
“Two days before the fi nal day of shooting they were going to close the set, which means they were going to wrap everyone and then two hours later, a skeleton crew ... just a couple of people ... were going to linger to be part of these secret pages.”
With no idea of the big reveal to come, and the studio bosses desperate to keep the plot twist out of the press, a battle plan was devised.
While crew were killing time back on set, de Pablo “was waiting at my house and they picked me up in a van ... literally, smuggled in under the cloak of darkness and all that stuff. Throughout the entire day, I was getting messages from the executive producer like, ‘ This is so cool’ ... ‘ We’re going to pick you up at 7pm’ ... ‘ Forget it, we’re going to pick you up at 9pm’ ... and then it was midnight. By the time they picked me up, it was about 10.30pm and I arrived on set around 11pm.” Filming was delayed slightly to accommodate a bracing round of hugs, as well as a few happy tears, she says: “It was a very emotional moment and really cool.”
When the cameras started rolling, however, a necessary tension descended as Ziva explained her absence to her
NCIS family, especially her onscreen boss and father figure Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon).
“The only way to come back and revisit was if there was some level of confl ict,” de Pablo explains. “If one of them thinks the other one is dead, obviously there’s some unanswered questions ... they need to figure out who they are and what has happened throughout the years they haven’t seen each other. That’s a really interesting thing
... watching these people struggle to really see each other for who they are. That lends itself for a fun dynamic and great TV.”
De Pablo felt compelled to return to the show, she says, because her exit back in 2013, seemed to happen so abruptly – for her and for fans. “At the time, it was the only choice I really had [but] I never felt like it was something I felt comfortable with ... I felt like the fans were left uneasy with me leaving. I certainly felt uneasy, like there were some loose ends that needed to be taken care of and I felt like revisiting the character was not only good for me as a person, but good for the character and the fans, who’ve been really excited to hear she was coming back.” While she has kept the reasons for her departure largely private, she says prioritising time with her family and fi nding a better balance in her life was key. “My intention was not to leave and work immediately. My intention was to spend some time for me – to travel, to spend time with family and to live a little,” she says. “What I was really craving more than anything was time. Time to be with my mum, time to chase after my dad, time to revisit the world, make new friends, eat dinners ... but I’m ready to go back to work again and revisiting Ziva is a part of going full circle.” Filming a show such as NCIS, which produces up to 24 episodes a season, had left the Chileanborn actor depleted. “Anyone who is in front of the camera for years, a decade long, is going to be [running] a little bit on empty but it was an incredible opportunity [playing Ziva]. I’m incredibly grateful of those years. I learned a lot as an actor. I worked with Michael [Weatherly, her former co- star and on- screen partner Tony Dinozzo); I worked with Mark [Harmon], I worked with some incredible actors,” she says.
“I developed myself as a professional on that set, I had great fun along the way and I am forever grateful for NCIS and for Ziva David.”
De Pablo has stayed friends with Weatherly, who also left the series to star in his own hit legal drama Bull – where he was accused of harassment and bullying by his former co- star, Eliza Dushka (who was paid
$9.5 million in a settlement with the show’s network CBS).
“We were younger when we started and wiser today and I think there’s still a lot to learn,” de Pablo says, “but I can only say, Michael, to me, has been not only a friend but generous in times when not a lot of people were. He’s got a good heart, he’s a good man.”