The character of Ziva David, a Mossad liaison officer from Israel who speaks more than five languages, has captured the hearts of NCIS fans. The character is impressively played by the gorgeous Cote De Pablo.
Actress Cote De Pablo is best known for her role on ‘NCIS,’ but the star already had an impressive resume. The Chilean-American is not only an actress, but also a singer.
The talented actress was born in Santiago, Chile. At the age of ten, she moved to America. Here are 20 more interesting facts about ZIva David (Cote de Pablo).
1. Her real name isn’t Cote
Cote de Pablo was born Maria José de Pablo Fernandez. Rumor has it that when she moved to Miami from Chile, people at her new school couldn’t pronounce her name, so she changed it to “Cote ”
2. She was a star runner as a child
When they moved, she barely spoke English, and had a hard time until a teacher helped her find her way.
“And so I remember in 5th grade, I had a teacher… who was wonderful and he was an older man. And the only thing I knew really was ‘run.’ I knew what that meant. And so he put me into the track and field, and so he got me starting to run and all that stuff, and before I knew it, I was a little track and field star. And I remember, he would say in the middle of a competition, he would scream and get very red and scream, ‘Cote, run!’ And that’s all I knew.”
3. She wanted to be a secretary
Growing up, De Pablo had other dreams. She didn’t want to be an actress, it is said that she wanted to be a secretary.
“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.”
She apparently told TV Guide
4. Performing arts became her home
She entered an art high school to learn English. She revealed that she’s always been interested in art, but actually studied it because it was “a way to communicate with people in my new country… My friend had the perfect quote for it: ‘You’ve found your tribe.’” We’re not Chilean. or Argentinian or Brazilian or Russian, we are actors.”
5. University
Her love of art continued in high school. She later studied musical theater at Carnegie Mellon University.
6. Leaving Broadway
After graduating, she appeared on stage at the New York City Public Theater for a Shakespeare production, but left Broadway when she landed her iconic role in NCIS.
7. Terrified of Guns
Ziva David role on NCIS
She may be playing an Israeli special forces veteran in ‘NCIS‘, but the star revealed in an interview on “Good Morning America” that she’s never fired a gun and that she’s also very afraid of them.
8. Not Happy With Her “NCIS” exit
Pablo revealed that she “wanted to stay for more episodes, but had no choice.” She later told TVLine that she felt the writers “rushed” her exit and that she “would have liked some closure.”
9. Fans petitioned for her return to the show
She left the show after eight years and over 180 episodes. Fans were very upset to see her leaving and petitioned for her return.
“When you make decisions like this, you never expect for people to fully understand. So it was really delicious to feel that kind of love and I’m always grateful for that.”
10. Singing on NCIS
In addition to acting, she also showed off her musical talent. She didn’t want her character to sing at first, but the “NCIS” writing team kept the idea, and after two years, she gave in. She also sang in the Season 6 premiere of “NCIS.”