Skip to main contentSkip to footer

NCIS star Cote de Pablo had a very different career before acting

The actress landed her big break in 2005


ncis cote de pablo ziva© Photo: Getty Images
Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
February 12, 2023
Share this:

Cote de Pablo is known and loved for her portrayal of Ziva David on NCIS - whom she played from 2005 until making her final appearance in 2020. 

But did you know that prior to her big break on the police procedural show, the actress had a very different career?

WATCH: Michael Weatherly's Tony DiNozzo says his goodbyes to the NCIS team

Before she found her passion for the performing arts, Cote co-hosted the Latin-American talk show, Control, at the age of 15. 

Chatting about her time on Control in an interview with American Latino, she said: "I interviewed some pretty phenomenal people on that show in the Latin world," before going on to say that "interviewing was not what I studied. What I studied was acting, and I wanted to do what I studied."  

TRENDING: NCIS: Los Angeles star Eric Christian Olsen's next project following cancelation revealed

Cote went on to study music and theatre at Carnegie Mellon University before landing her role on the CBS show. 

Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo© CBS

Cote presented a TV show before landing her role on NCIS

While she made her last appearance back in season 17, her co-star Michael Weatherly recently hinted at a potential reunion for their two characters. What's more, there's been speculation about a new spin-off series that could star both Michael and Cote

MORE: NCIS' Michael Weatherly's dangerous health condition revealed

But will Cote return? Back in 2016, the 43-year-old revealed that she chose not to come back to the show because of "political things and scripts not being good enough". 

"Look, I love this character! I worked for eight years crafting Ziva and when I felt like the character wasn't being treated with the respect she deserved," she said. 

Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo on NCIS© CBS

Cote made her final appearance on the show in 2020

"They were going to send [Ziva] back to Israel and make her an unfortunate, miserable woman. I didn't think it was fair. I told them until someone can write something really fantastic for Ziva I won't come back." 

She later clarified her comments in a 2019 interview, saying that what she said what taken out of context. 

"I didn't leave because I wanted to go or because I was ready or because I was tired. I didn't really have an option," she explained. 

Like this story? Sign up to our What to Watch newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up to Off Camera for all the gossip and goings-on from the wonderful world of TV and film

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More TV and Film

See more