How NCIS Star Pauley Perrette Became An Actor By Accident

If you're an "NCIS" fan, you'll no doubt recognize Pauley Perrette for her role as Abby Sciuto. The actor played the part to perfection until 2018 when she decided to leave the show behind. While it was a choice that seemed to both surprise and disappoint fans who adore her onscreen work, it also seemed like the star was sure about her decision and happy with the character she helped create.

"So, it is true that I am leaving 'NCIS' after this season," she wrote on Twitter on October 4, 2017. Going on to note that there had been "all kinds of false stories as to why" she was moving on, she noted that she wasn't launching a skincare line and that those at the show's network or at the show itself were not "mad" at her. Not going into specifics about her actual reasons, she added, "I hope everyone will love and enjoy EVERYTHING ABBY not only for the rest of this season but for everything she has given us for 16 years." Yes, 16 years!

Perrette started playing the character back in 2003. The fact that she stuck with the role for so long and has enjoyed a lengthy career in show business is pretty remarkable, considering the fact that she had no intention of acting in the first place. That's right: Perrette actually became an actor by accident. Keep reading to learn more about Perrette's surprising career path and what she was doing before she started acting.

Pauley Perrette's success in show business might make it seem like she was always meant to be an actor. However, the star had a very different career in mind when she accidentally fell into acting. "I started my master's degree," Perrette told PopEntertainment.com in April 2007. While you might assume that degree was related to acting, film, or maybe even theater, she wasn't studying anything in that area ... at all. Instead, she noted that during her undergrad work, she "studied sociology, psychology, and criminal science." That sounds more like the background of a character that she would play onscreen than the real-life education of an actor.

On top of that, Perrette added that she was in the process of taking her studies even further. "I started my master's degree in criminal science," she explained. However, she also admitted that she "was broke" at the time, so had a job as a bartender. It was at that job that she met a director who put her "fifteen [of his projects] back to back ... everything from commercials, music videos to short films. Then, suddenly I was in this business."

Saying she "never got to finish" her master's degree but that she'd "still like to," the "NCIS" star explained that her schedule got too busy thanks to the fact that she was offered so many gigs. That includes roles on some of your favorite shows and one particularly beloved movie.

Pauley Perrette didn't intend to be an actor, but that didn't stop her from being successful from the start. During her early years in the industry, she appeared on popular shows like "Fraiser," "The Drew Carey Show," and "Dawson's Creek," just to name a few, per IMDb. While you may remember her as a waitress from the Kelsey Grammer-starring sitcom, you may be surprised to realize that she also played Dawson's (blond!) therapist. Yep, that's her!

But when it comes to Perrette's earlier gigs, there's one that she's particularly fond of, for a very good reason. Appearing as Alice Wisdom, a radio DJ, in 2000's "Almost Famous" — three years before she landed her role on "NCIS" and something that suited the star who has her own music career — she told PopEntertainment.com, "That is the greatest film ever made. I love that. I'm in that movie for like five seconds, but I'm still just so proud to be a part of it."

Going on to say that she's "a huge Cameron Crowe fan from 'Say Anything," she explained that when she met up with the writer and director of "Almost Famous," it was a "weird day." However, she also noted, "He's just so amazing and cool and wonderful and happy and a lovely man. And of course talent. And he's married to Nancy Wilson, on top of that." Her "Almost Famous" role was a small one, but it's close to Perrette's heart!