Cote de Pablo said that Michael Weatherly ‘is sabotaging my audition’ during her initial audition for the role of Ziva David, a former Israeli Mossad officer who is now an NCIS special agent.

She remarked of Weatherly, who portrays her on-screen love, Tony DiNozzo, ‘We sort of hated each other immediately, and loved each other immediately.’

‘He grabbed my hair during the audition. He refused to go with the flow. He completely deviated from the script

and began improvising, and this was my last chance to audition for CBS executives. I felt like this guy was ruining my audition.

‘We realized we’re so drastically different and so much alike that there was an immediate attraction,’the 44-year-old actor who was born in Chile continues.

De Pablo’s character on NCIS died off-screen in season 13, after winning over fans with her pivotal

role from seasons three to eleven and before returning to the show in seasons sixteen and seventeen.

Fans were devastated by her sudden departure from the series, for which she provided no reason.

The creators of the show spoke with Hollywood Reporter in September 2023 and addressed de Pablo’s ten-year absence from the show as a regular character.

‘I believe that Cote had reached a point where she desired to move forward,’ stated Charles Floyd Johnson, the executive producer of JAG and NCIS. She worked on the program for eight years.

A year or two before she left, I spoke with her, and she told me, ‘I don’t know whether I want to do this forever,

and at some point, I think I might go.’ ‘Oh, Cote, please, come on,’ I exclaimed. It is such a hit program.

How do you intend to proceed? This horse should be ridden all the way to the gate. She responded, ‘No, I don’t think so.’

The former head of CBS Entertainment, Nina Tassler, continues, ‘There was literally a ripple in the universe when Cote left.’ However, the show managed to move forward once more.

But getting ahead was not simple.

Johnson confirmed that there were difficulties in appointing Emily Wickersham as Special Agent Eleanor Bishop following de Pablo’s resignation.

Regarding the actor, who debuted in season 11, Johnson stated, ‘Audiences liked [Cote], but eventually, Emily won out.’

‘But, I recall that things weren’t always smooth with her. You would get mail, and people would comment, ‘She’s no Cote de Pablo.’’ For that reason, we wrote her rather differently.

Why did she actually depart?
Months before CBS execs voiced their thoughts, de Pablo spoke with Hello!

and said the main reason she departed was because she didn’t like the way her character was going.

‘Unfortunately, I made the decision not to [return to NCIS] due to political issues and inadequate scripts.’

stated de Pablo. ‘Hey, this character is so awesome! I spent eight years creating Ziva, and at some point I felt that she wasn’t receiving the respect she deserved.

She goes on to explain why Ziva David wasn’t receiving the ‘respect she deserved,’ saying that ‘[Ziva] was going to be sent back to Israel and made into a bad, miserable woman.’

It wasn’t fair, in my opinion. I informed them that I wouldn’t be returning until someone could write something truly amazing for Ziva.

Actor David McCallum, who portrayed Dr. ‘Ducky’ Mallard on NCIS, expressed his surprise at an actor leaving a program early,

saying it would cause issues for the crew and cast. McCallum told Digital Spy, ‘It was anger and frustration that someone should just walk out on us.’

‘ I just don’t understand how a leading lady who supposedly wants to be an actress and who is in a global

show walks away from such a gem and just disappears a few days before we start production.’

‘This business is merciless so right away the whole team of writers gets in and rewrites the first five shows,’ the actor,

who passed away in September 2023, continued. You thought, ‘This is a dangerous road to go down,’ but they took it off, when it happened.

De Pablo has had two unsuccessful ventures and a few small appearances in movies and television after leaving the series.

The development of MIA, a new police drama that Pablo and Weatherly co-created in 2019, seems to have been canceled.

Furthermore, even though season 21 of NCIS, which premieres in February, is anticipated to feature de Pablo’s return, fans would still love to see her.

McCallum, who played in the first 20 seasons of the popular TV show, won’t be returning for this season.