Before She Was On NCIS, Cote De Pablo Had A Different Dream Job In Mind

Cote de Pablo played Special Agent Ziva David on the popular CBS crime drama "NCIS" for eight seasons before her departure in 2013. The reason for the fan-favorite's exit has been a topic of much debate over the years. It seems that various reasons circulated shortly following the Chilean-American's departure, which she has commented on to different publications.

She told TV Guide in 2013 that her decision to leave was a "personal thing," but in a 2016 interview, she gave fans more of a concrete answer. De Pablo felt that her character wasn't being given the respect she deserved, stating "they were going to send [the character] back to Israel and make her an unfortunate, miserable woman ... and I didn't think it was fair." Later, the actor said her words had been taken out of context and left things as, "I'm not ready to talk about that yet. I will someday. But ... I didn't really have an option," according to USA Today.

Regardless of the reason de Pablo left "NCIS," she discovered that she would be sorely missed, as fans expressed their bittersweet support for her departure. She told TV Guide, "I was incredibly moved by the blind support people had ... That's been the most beautiful thing out of this process." Although de Pablo is known around the world as Ziva David, there was a time this possibility wasn't even on her radar. Keep reading to discover what de Pablo had in mind for her career before becoming an actor.

Cote de Pablo didn't always see herself becoming a famous actor. In fact, her idea of a dream career was quite different. In an interview with TV Guide, which was shared via a fan's Facebook account, the actor described what she had in mind for her future job. When the publication asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, de Pablo responded, "I, believe it or not, wanted to be a secretary, much like Maggie Gyllenhaal in 'The Secretary' ... I had clips all over and markers, and you know, the old-fashioned typewriters... I like to follow direction... and, by the way, I became an actor, so I'm kind of doing it anyway."

Fortunately for her fans, de Pablo discarded the secretary fantasy when she made her way into a performing arts high school. She opened up to Prevention about moving to Miami, Florida, from Santiago, Chile, when she was 10 years old. Although she missed her family and friends terribly, she reported finding her niche in the performing arts because it was a way for her to communicate with people in her new country while she was still learning English. "My friend had the perfect saying for it: 'You found your tribe,'" de Pablo told the publication. "We're not Chilean or Argentinean or Brazilian or Russian. We're actors."

From that point forward, de Pablo discovered the creativity and imagination that lived inside her and allowed her to succeed as an actor.

Cote de Pablo began her acting career in musical theater after studying at Carnegie Mellon University. Her first theater performance was a Shakespeare play with the New York City Public Theater. She was about to star in "The Mambo Kings" on Broadway when she found her place on "NCIS," according to Front Row Features. Speaking to the publication, de Pablo said, "[The musical] never ended up going to Broadway. We went to the Golden Gate theater and there were too many things that the musical needed so we took a break then I booked 'N.C.I.S.' so I went from my chance of doing a Broadway show into doing the series." 

The publication followed up to ask whether De Pablo would participate in another long-running TV show. She responded that although she never thought a TV show could last as long as it did with "NCIS," if it was the right material, she would do it again. "If there can be a balance between being professionally happy, being creatively stimulated and having a personal life, then yes," she stated. As far as whether or not de Pablo misses doing musical theater, she says that starring in a Broadway musical is something pending that she still wants to do.