Cote de Pablo's Character Leaves 'NCIS' (Spoiler Alert)
Cote de Pablo made the "personal" decision to leave "NCIS" this year, and her character was written off the show during Tuesday's episode.
The emotional episode saw the departure of Ziva David, the character de Pablo portrayed for eight seasons before her announcement to leave.
The character's departure was built up during the Oct. 1 episode, and the tasteful farewell took place during the last 20 minutes of the show.
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As previously promised by de Pablo, Tony and Ziva "get a resolution they've awaited for years" when Tony tries to convince her to come back to D.C. with him.
However, Ziva insists on staying abroad, refusing to continue a life with killing involved, and therefore must leave "NCIS."
"How can I not think that for every man I kill, there's someone out there crying for him," she explained to Tony during the pivotal "NCIS" episode. "The center of all this pain is me… This is what I made myself, but it's not who I wanted to be."
Meanwhile, de Pablo's departure upset creators of the show as well as fans.
"We offered Cote de Pablo a lot of money, and they we offered her even more money," said CBS president Leslie Moonves speaking to the press. "We really don't want to lose her, we love her; we think she was terrific. Ultimately, she decided she didn't want to do the show."
While her character Ziva was written off the series in a fitting manner, she has every opportunity to return to "NCIS."
However, according to de Pablo's explanation of her departure, it does not seem likely that the actress will return to the television series.
"As far as my decision to leave, that's a personal thing, and I'd rather leave it at that," explained the 33-year-old star, according to TV Guide.
The actress also gleaned insight on the complexity of her decision to leave "NCIS."
"The idea of leaving was not something I toyed around with for a long time," de Pablo continued. "It was an overwhelmingly hard thing- at times terrifying."
Nonetheless, de Pablo's adoring fans stood by her despite the unexpected departure.
"I was incredibly moved by the blind support people had without ever getting reasons as to why I left," she said, according to TV Guide. "People trusted that what I was doing was what I needed to do, and that's unconditional love from people who don't even know me. That's been the most beautiful thing out of this process."
