Cote De Pablo Turned Down This Massive Opportunity To Star In NCIS

Cote de Pablo is best known for playing Special Agent Ziva David on "NCIS." She impressed viewers with her multilingual capabilities on the show, having made her debut in Season 3 in September 2005. Per Showbiz Cheat Sheet, de Pablo stayed on the show until Season 11 in 2013 when her character was written off. She returned for a guest starring appearance in Season 17 in 2020, but never revealed the reason why she left the show in the first place (via TV Insider). However, there was speculation that she didn't like how her character was being written and she also wanted to pursue other opportunities in television and film.

It wouldn't have been the first time that de Pablo had to make a difficult decision about her future. De Pablo reportedly had to turn down a once in a lifetime offer when she was cast on "NCIS." Keep on reading to find out what opportunity de Pablo turned down and how she really felt about it.

Cote de Pablo might've found fame on "NCIS," but she actually is a much more versatile actor outside of television. In an interview with Prevention in February 2012, de Pablo revealed that she went to a performing arts high school, which enabled her to hone her talents in acting, singing, and dancing. "I had always been interested in the arts, but performing became even more important because it was a way to communicate with people in my new country," de Pablo said, referring to her immigrating from Chile as a child. "Those were defining years for me."

After high school, de Pablo studied musical theatre at Carnegie Mellon University. She continued in theatre after she graduated from her studies, appearing on the New York City Public Theater stage for a Shakespeare production, but she had to give up her Broadway dreams when she auditioned for "NCIS" in 2005. "I was about to do Broadway ("The Mambo Kings") right before I got "NCIS"...so I went from my chance of doing a Broadway show into doing the series," she revealed to Front Row Features in November 2015.

Though de Pablo's decision to go with "NCIS" gave her worldwide recognition, she still hopes to realize her dream of being a Broadway star, telling the outlet, "It's something still pending that I want to do."

While Cote de Pablo has seemingly put her "NCIS" past behind her, it doesn't mean that she's done with television for good. De Pablo has said that she'd be open to starring in another television show if the role was right and allowed her creative freedom to work on other projects. "I never thought a TV show could last that long but if it was the right material I would do it again," de Pablo said to Front Row Features of her former show. "If there can be a balance between being professionally happy, being creatively stimulated and having a personal life, then yes."

While de Pablo has starred in several projects since her "NCIS" exit — like a TV movie and a mini-series — It seems like she has been enjoying living a quieter life off-screen, too.