‘NCIS’ Alum Cote de Pablo Explained ‘Very Special’ Relationships with Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly
When you work together for over a decade, you’re bound to form some special connections. This is true for former NCIS star Cote de Pablo. The actress formed a special connection with co-stars Mark Harmon, who plays Jethro Gibbs, and Michael Weatherly, who played Tony Dinozzo.
Pablo left the series primarily in season 10 but did make a sh****g return for a few episodes in seasons 16 and 17.
“[Mark Harmon] is more of a friend mentor. He was always like a father figure to me. Obviously, Ziva and Gibbs have that but Cote and Mark have that as well,” she said in an interview with BUILD. However, Cote and Mark don’t necessarily stay in touch all the time.
“He’s a very busy, famous man. Obviously, there are many months where you just don’t talk, but it’s really nice to know that sometimes when you have friendships but certainly in family – that’s a given- you can go time without talking but you’ve laid a foundation. A foundation that is solid,” she said. Harmon certainly is busy. He also is an executive producer of NCIS.
“From that foundation, you can really go anywhere,” Cote de Pablo explained. “You can go years without talking. Really heavy-duty things can happen, and then all the sudden you’re back and you can pick up right where you left off.” It seems that that’s exactly what happened with her and Mark Harmon when she returned to set.
“I have that with a lot of people I’ve worked with,” she 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. At times you’re having really great days and at times you’re having really challenging days.”
Cote de Pablo Reunited With Harmon in a Secret Meeting Before Season 16 Finale
In the season 16 finale of NCIS, Cote De Pablo returned, sh*-*-*g audiences. But before she even returned to the set she had a secret meeting with Mark Harmon, where they reunited after years apart. During a classified meeting with executive producers, Mark Harmon surprised her.
“I just gave him a big hug and he just went Cotes,” she continued. “It was just like like right in the chest you know and just a hug and very heartfelt.”
‘NCIS’ Will Air in a New Timeslot
NCIS season 19 will air in a new timeslot. The show will move from its long-held Tuesday spot to Mondays at 9 pm. This is so the FBI franchise can air on the same night and so NCIS can serve as a lead in to the all-new NCIS: Hawai’i.
This will hopefully bolster the new member of the franchise in the ratings while also helping NCIS maintain its spot as one of the most popular scripted dramas in the world.