Cote De Pablo Of 'NCIS' Fame Remembers Working With "Father Figure" Mark Harmon

Mar 01, 2022 by apost team

"NCIS" is a television series that follows a fictional team of special agents, their work and their personal lives. The show combines elements of military dramas and police procedural genres, making for an extremely impactful show that has gone on to become a fan favorite and phenomenon. "NCIS" first aired back in September 2003 and has since gone into broadcast syndication as one of the longest-running scripted non-animated primetime TV series.

With such an impactful show, it's no surprise that many of its main actors have gone on to have fulfilling careers and have garnered plenty of media attention. Some of the main stars over the years have included Mark Harmon, Pauley Perrette, Michael Weatherly, Cote de Pablo and many more. There have also been several spin-off series from "NCIS."

De Pablo – whose real name is Maria Jose de Pablo Fernandez – was born on Nov. 12, 1979, in Santiago, Chile. At the age of 10, she moved to the United States. It wasn't long before she began studying acting and showing off her talents in the field as well as her talents as a singer. After appearing in several television shows, she was finally cast to portray Ziva David in "NCIS" in 2005, helping her gain even more fame and recognition. She even won an ALMA Award for her role in 2011.

Since then, de Pablo has talked about how important the series is to her and has also opened up about some personal details in her private life. She has also talked about how she really feels about co-star Harmon. Read on to find out more about her life and career.

Mark Harmon, Cote De Pablo (2012), (Mark Davis/Getty Images)

Speaking with Prevention in 2012, de Pablo talked about how her "NCIS" character Ziva is both similar and different to her own personality. She said:

"My character's strength is like mine, to a completely different degree. Losing family members because of a war… I have moments when I just have to hold my heart. But I also have to remember that if I played the character from my point of view, she'd be falling apart all the time. She has to keep it together – it's the world she grew up in."

De Pablo also talked about some of the harder aspects of portraying Ziva. She explained:

"I had literally 48 hours to learn a monologue in Hebrew. That was terrifying. I used to look down on people who were, for example, playing a Latin role, because I could tell that they didn't speak Spanish. It would get on my nerves. Then I realized, Oh, God, I'm in that place right now. Everything I had judgments on has turned around and bitten me in the butt."

On "NCIS," de Pablo's character is romantically linked to Weatherly's character. According to Express, fans were eager to see the pair get together. Although de Pablo wasn't on the show for a few years, she later returned and got her happy ending with Weatherly's character.

However, in her real life, the actress is currently single and has no children, according to ShowBiz CheatSheet. She was previously linked to actor Diego Serrano, but were reported to have split after 15 years together.

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Cote De Pablo (2018), (Jacopo Raule/Getty Images)

Speaking with Prevention in 2012, de Pablo said that Serrano was "the worst influence" on her, even though she loved him for it at the time. However, the actress said that her ex helped teach her how to live life to the fullest.

Still, de Pablo has hopes for a family in the future. During an interview with Rachael Ray, she said, "Eventually, I think it will happen… Things have been slow to come. I think happily they will come when the time is right."

However, the actress talked about how hard it can be to find someone who compliments your personality and characteristics, as she longs to have a sense of balance in her life. De Pablo explained:

"I prefer somebody who can balance me out. Somebody who, when I'm out of control, can just kind of turn off the engine. An equalizing force. Somebody who can balance and counterbalance. That, actually, would be the ideal thing. And that's very hard to find."

Despite being somewhat vocal about her personal life in earlier interviews, de Pablo has kept much of her private life to herself in a similar fashion to her fellow "NCIS" co-star Harmon, according to Express.

Outsider reported that de Pablo has a great relationship with Harmon. She said, "(Mark Harmon) is more of a friend mentor. He was always like a father figure to me." Although the pair haven't always stayed in touch, they know they have a good foundation for their friendship.

"I have that with a lot of people I've worked with," de Pablo said. "Certainly with Mark, certainly with Michael. They're relationships that are very, very special. For many reasons. They're forged in the heat of pressure."

Cote de Pablo (2019), (Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)

What are your thoughts on Cote de Pablo and Mark Harmon's relationship? Let us know, and be sure to send this to any "NCIS" fan you know!

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