Cote de Pablo was a key figure on NCIS, but while it’s impossible to imagine the shared NCIS universe without her, she almost didn’t play Ziva David. De Pablo would go on to portray the character from NCIS seasons 3 to 11, staying with the series several years beyond her initial six-year contract with the show. Ziva David would become one of the most beloved characters in NCIS history, inspiring the franchise to bring her back for a new series centered on her life: the spinoff NCIS: Tony & Ziva.

The original NCIS characters, Ziva David and Anthony DiNozzo, warranted their spinoff because their chemistry on the flagship series was magnetic. Their relationship built over many NCIS seasons, but it was revealed in the new podcast hosted by the NCIS stars, Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch, that some pivotal moments happened outside the series and defined how the characters would interact with each other. Off Duty also revealed that Cote de Pablo thought her chances of getting the role were impossible, which would have changed the entire course of NCIS history.

Cote de Pablo Almost Lost The Role Of Ziva To Someone Who Auditioned Over 15 Times

Cote de Pablo Traveled To Los Angeles To Audition For The Role Of Ziva David

In the Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch podcast, in which de Pablo and Michael Weatherly revisit essential Tony and Ziva NCIS episodes, de Pablo recalled the events of her test screening. When she got to the theater, another actor was there to audition. The other prospective Ziva actor said that she had auditioned for the role 15 or 16 times, and de Pablo felt that the part already belonged to the other woman. De Pablo remembered hearing laughter among the other actors and those in the room before it was her turn to audition, thinking that there was no way she would be chosen.

Cote de Pablo said she was in national commercials at the time, but a wake-up call had pushed her to audition for several TV roles. She got a call about the role on a Friday, suggesting there might be a test screening, but her manager didn’t think it would go through. It was to de Pablo’s surprise that she was flying to Los Angeles later that weekend to audition for the role of Ziva. She assumed they had brought her to California to be sure of their decision and that it wouldn’t be her.

Cote de Pablo Got The NCIS Role After 1 Test Read With Michael Weatherly

NCIS Showrunner Donald P. Bellisario Revealed The News To Cote de Pablo Himself

On Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch, de Pablo remembered a pivotal moment when NCIS showrunner Donald P. Bellisario had de Pablo laugh at Weatherly in the audition to disarm his antics. It was a suggestion that would lay the foundation for Tony and Ziva’s NCIS romance, establishing their dynamic. Ziva had a balanced relationship with Tony because of her ability to intimidate him where other women could not. De Pablo recalled when she headed home that evening, she was waiting to catch a cab when Bellisario caught up with her outside, ultimately revealing that she got the role after one screening.

NCIS history happened when de Pablo read for the role of Ziva David. Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo recalled an infamous moment in the Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch podcast when Weatherly went off script, touched de Pablo’s face, and told her she looked like Salma Hayek. De Pablo remembered that it made her angry and that something in the room changed when she adjusted her character’s approach to something fierce and composed. The room’s energy shifted at that moment, and they knew they had won their audience over.

After it was revealed that she had gotten the part, Cote de Pablo picked up her life in New York and moved to California to begin filming for NCIS season 3 immediately. The chemistry established in the room that day between Weatherly and de Pablo was a significant touchstone for NCIS history, and it set the tone for an NCIS relationship that fans could get behind. While things will be different for off-duty agents in their new spinoff series, the dynamic wherein de Pablo keeps Weatherly in check, which won de Pablo her Ziva NCIS role despite all odds, will undoubtedly feature.

Source: Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch/Spotify