Many of us NCIS fans are still reeling from the departure of Cote de Pablo. She spent eight seasons playing Ziva David and then—seemingly out of nowhere—she left the show. We’ve been waiting for her to speak about her decision and finally, in an interview with “Latina” magazine, she has.
“It was not an easy decision, not one taken lightly. I feel like I am leaving my family,” she told the magazine. “What I want to say most of all is thank you to the fans and to the people who have been so supportive of me and of the show, who have made the show the great success that it is.”
According to USMagazine.com, CBS CEO Les Moonves said in July the network offered De Pablo “a lot of money. However, Moonves said the 33-year old “decided she didn’t want to do the show.”
"We did everything humanly possible [to keep her]," the CEO continued according to the website.
It was probably a bit of a transition for some after Sasha Alexander’s character, Kate, was killed off the show but de Pablo grew into her role and made Ziva one of the best characters on TV.
It was nice having a character who added comedy with her constant dismantling of American idioms and added a sense of toughness—with occasional reminders that she was an assassin and could probably kill you with her two fingers.
In a recent interview with “Entertainment Weekly,” “NCIS” Executive Producer Gary Glasberg said we will have to tune into “the first two episodes” to find out what happens to Ziva.
Glasberg emphasized the second episode will center on Ziva’s swan song.
Season 11 of “NCIS” will premiere Sept. 24 8/7c.
