Here's What Cote De Pablo From NCIS Is Doing Now

 It was a sad moment for "NCIS" fans when their favorite character Ziva David was almost written off the show. Played by Cote de Pablo, special agent David was known for her wonderful chemistry with special agent Tony DiNozzo, played by Michael Weatherly. Her skills on the field were also valued, and she was known for hand-to-hand combat and assassination techniques — a special agent you'd always want on the team!

De Pablo had been a part of the show since 2005, and even though she made a guest comeback in newer seasons, things have not been the same. The actor even disapproved of the way her character was being shown in certain storylines. She felt her character in "NCIS" wasn't given the attention she deserved. "I worked eight years crafting this character and loving her,"  she told an eager crowd at Babson College in 2016 (per E! News). De Pablo added that "when I felt, or I perceived, the character was not being treated with the respect she deserved," not even "all money in the world" was enough to get her to stay.

De Pablo's decision came at the right time. "NCIS" is just one of the shows that honed the actor's ability to grip the audience with her on-screen presence. There were others to come, too. Years later, she would look at the decision of leaving "NCIS" without any regret at all — like the show's other characters, she has been working on some exciting projects. Here's what de Pablo from "NCIS" is doing now!

Cote de Pablo's years at the hit CBS show were but a shadow of what she had in store for her fans. After her character's tragic "NCIS" exit in 2013, she went on to work on other projects. Her IMDb profile shows that she was a part of the CBS mini-series "The Dovekeepers" in 2015. The name of her character was Shirah.

After "The Dovekeepers," de Pablo starred in the 2015 film "The 33" as Jessica. She also played a role in the 2016 movie "Prototype." A short drama titled "The Crossing" came out in 2019, followed by "Seneca," which went on to win two awards. Then came the highly anticipated return to the show that she had left feeling betrayed, at least as far as her character was concerned. Fans got to see a different de Pablo as Ziva David in a total number of five "NCIS" episodes between 2019 and 2020.

When de Pablo had left the show back in 2013, she had said that there was "no money" that could make her stay. The actor found her calling, and when she returned to "NCIS," fans could clearly see a more matured version of the actor — one that clearly showed what "NCIS" had missed over the years.

Cote de Pablo's return was well-weaved into the show's plot, and it all worked out. "She decided to come out and actually meet with us. We had a clandestine meeting with Steve and I and Mark Harmon," "NCIS" executive producer Frank Cardea — who, along with Steven Binder, reached out to de Pablo about her return while writing the episode — said in 2019. "It was like she had never left," Cardea added (per USA Today).

De Pablo's return to the "NCIS" set was exciting. "They were waiting for me, standing up, and they clapped as I went in," she said. "I think I said something along the lines of, 'Woo-hoo, I'm back!' It was great." It wasn't too hard for the actor to blend in, and reuniting with Mark Harmon was special. "When you know somebody that well, you could just show up to set, and there's that trust," she added. "It really felt like just slipping back into a really comfortable slipper."

De Pablo doesn't have much idea of her character's fate, and she believes much of it depends on the writers. The producers like surprises too. "We're very well aware of the Tony-Ziva connection, and the fans' desire and response to it," "NCIS" executive producer Binder explained (via USA Today). De Pablo's proved there's much more to her than David, so a second life to her storyline will only be icing on the cake for her fans.