ote de Pablo is stepping back into the spotlight, and back into the combat boots of Ziva David. In NCIS: Tony & Ziva, the long-awaited Paramount+ spinoff that premiered September 4, de Pablo reunites with co-star Michael Weatherly to continue the story fans never stopped asking for.
The series picks up in Paris, where Ziva (who was once presumed dead) is now building a new life with Tony and their daughter. For de Pablo, it’s a powerful full-circle moment. This marks her first extended return to the beloved character since leaving NCIS in 2013, and audiences are clearly ready: The show’s trailer racked up more than 93 million views in just one week, as de Pablo refers to the whole experience as “surreal.”
How does it feel coming back into this massive thing that everyone is talking about
There is so much buzz; Los Angeles is literally lined with billboards for the show.
“It’s kind of surreal. Michael and I pinch ourselves. We’ve never felt this level of support. Meaning when we were in the mothership, it was this massive hit, but we were so busy making it that by the time it got to the number one show in America, we were in Santa Clarita shooting very far away from the rest of the studios. We never really got to interact with anyone else. It was a very isolated thing, which actually made it great because we went there and we worked and then we went home.
It was a wonderful thing, but this is at another level. The amount of expectation and love that we’ve gotten from fans from all over, it’s overwhelming and we’re so grateful to it. We waited a long time to do this. This was a manifestation that was, my God, on the books for many years.”
Was it hard remembering who the character was or was it easy to step back into it?
“Michael and I were doing a podcast, which was An NCIS Rewatch at the beginning of 2024. I don’t know if it was a strategic universe cheeky joke on us, but we were re-watching all of that and talking about all of these characters. Then, we knew that we were going to do it and we were very excited about it. We were getting in touch with all of those moments, Michael and I, while we were re-watching it. By the time we got to doing it, we were one, nervous, but I was also really just excited that it was finally happening and that we got a chance to answer all the questions that the fans wanted us to answer for so many years.
Where are they? Are they together? Are they raising this little girl? Where are they living? What are they doing? Did they finally make it work? We got to explore a lot of those dynamics, which were really the reason we wanted to do the series in the first place. We knew we didn’t want it to live within the agency because that was going to limit the exploration of the relationship. We wanted to take it outside of the agency structure, procedural world that we so beautifully explored for such a long time.
We knew that we wanted to do it abroad, one, because the characters had gone abroad, and Tony was going to go to Paris to meet Ziva and he was with the little girl. We knew it could start there. Then, of course, along the way, John McNamara came in and he helped us piece all of that together.”
Where was your head as you went to go to sleep before the official premiere? Did you sleep or were you just too excited for it?
“It’s surreal because remember, we’re coming from the world of network, which was very different. It was like, we premiered Tuesday at 8 p.m. and everyone would be counting down the minutes until it started. It was just a different thing. You’d literally be counting down the minutes to watch the show—both the fans and me. Now, when you say something like, ‘Hey, what time is Tony & Ziva on Paramount+?” It’s there! It all dropped and people will get to see it whenever they want. It’s really a brand-new world.
Obviously, it’s been going on for a long time, but we’re experiencing it. Michael and I, we’re experiencing it like this for the first time. Of course, we’re very excited. There’s a little giddiness and all of that. It’s magic.”
Since we’re a beauty magazine, we have to ask: Is there anything you used on set or anything you love skin-care wise?
“First of all, every day when I was done with my day, my makeup artist, Emily Faldem, she would remove my makeup and then she would put on all these yummy products, but I have no idea what they were. Then, she would put a hot towel over my face, which was literally my send-off before I went home. It was just magical and beautiful.
I will say this, sleep is a big one. Sleep is a huge one for me. Also, trying to keep inflammation levels low. As you know, when you’re aging, it’s tough. Sleeping, trying to keep a healthy diet as much as you can, are both key.
I once had a boyfriend who was Italian, and he used to say the most beautiful thing in the world. I think for all the ladies out there that are going to either read this or listen to this will like it. He used to say, ‘Maria, sei bella e felice,’ which is: ‘You are beautiful and happy.” I never understood it then, but I do now. There’s something to being happy that makes people beautiful. I will say when it radiates from the inside, when you’re doing something that you truly love, there is something. It may not be your magazine-beauty thing, but it is an energy. There is something to be said about that kind of energy that is beautiful. Try to remain happy.”
