NCIS’S COTE DE PABLOL: A CUP OF COTE!Being tough has never looked better. Cote de Pablo is proof of that in her starring role as Agent Ziva David on the CBS smash hit NCIS. This Alma Award Winner is recognizable from performances on All My Children, The Education of Max Bickford, Arne Glimcher’s adaptation of The Mambo Kings and the feature The Last Rites of Ransom Pride. Effortless beauty frames this talented artist, just accessible enough to make you fancy a cup of coffee with her on a sunny day because De Pablo is mostly sunshine with a dash of mystery behind big brown eyes.
THE ESSENTIALS
STATUS: Happy!
CHILDHOOD MEMORY THAT MAKES YOU SMILE: Spending time with my family at our beach house in Zapallar, Chile.
DESIGNER CRUSH: Lanvin
FASHION ITEM YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: Black off-the-shoulder sweater, my favorite purse from Brazil, a great pair of comfortable pumps.
3 MUSTS IN YOUR MAKE-UP BAG…Chapstick, a hair band and mascara.
GO-TO BEAUTY SECRET: Lots of vegetables, lots of water, no alcohol and lots of sleep.
I LOVE MY…time with family and friends, long lunches and dinners and good conversation over a bottle of rosé.
QUIRKS/ PHOBIAS: Cockroaches and big open spaces…“any comfortable shaded nooks.”
BEST GETAWAY: Anywhere by the ocean.
LAST iPOD DOWNLOAD: Brazillian singer/songwriter Mart’nália
A NICE RIESLING OR A MOJITO: Riesling
CAREER HIGH: NCIS role
BEST ON-SET BLOOPER: Literally it is every day!
ACTOR THAT INFLUENCED YOU MOST: Too many to name.
IF I WASN”T AN ACTOR I’D BE…the owner of a detox center somewhere by the ocean, traveling the world studying about history and singing, singing, singing!
DREAM DINNER GUEST: My grandmother
MOST IMPORTANT LIFE LESSON SO FAR: Life will happen so put on a seatbelt and enjoy the ride even though there will be bumps along the way.
HYDROGEN MAGAZINE: You moved to Miami from Chile when you were ten. Tell me about that and what kind of adjustment was that for you?
COTE DE PABLO: It was really hard, especially coming from a conservative tradition of Catholic private school and Sunday lunches with my grandmother to the loud world and Caribbean tradition of Miami. It was a huge culture shock.
HM: You attended Carnegie Melon University and got your degree in Acting and Musical Theatre. Was that always the dream? Where did the performing side of you come from?
CDP: I was talking to the nannies that raised me not long ago and from what they tell me, I was always a performer. My earliest memories are when we would drive to beach and my parents would play the soundtrack of the musical “9” till the tape cracked! I knew then that I loved music and loved stories so it was a very organic path for me. When I got to college, my first choice was theatre and music and Carnegie was perfect and I got really good training there.
HM: Do you remember your first real break?
CDP: I was 21 and had just graduated college and auditioned for a show called The Street with Jennifer Connelly as the lead. I read for a part and I got it though I did overdo it a bit and the director would always ask me to tone it down. But I remember Tom Everett Scott coming up to me and he said, “You’re gonna do good kid.” I’m not sure if he was being facetious but I think he meant it.
HM: How do you keep yourself weighted to the ground in an industry and town such as Hollywood that can be very heady?
CDP: I think by staying close to my family and choosing friends that are earthy and real helps a lot. I have people around me who are not trying to be perfect and who will call me out on things and I like that.
HM: What do your family back home make of your success?
CDP: It’s hard to gauge from a distance but I think they are proud of me, much like I am of them so it is reciprocal.
HM: How did your role as Agent Ziva David on NCIS come about?
CDP: When I auditioned for the role, it was a generic Eastern European character. Three months later, they decided she would be Israeli. All I knew about Jewish women was from a former boyfriend’s mother who was very protective, feisty, and comfortable in environment around men which is similar to the women I grew up around, so I would say I based a lot of Ziva on her.
HM: Tell me about her.
CDP: My character comes from a man’s world. She is a former Mosad agent and specialized in torture and assassination so she is secure in herself and her body and being around men. She’s passionate, opinionated… I’d be friends with her for sure. And after playing Ziva for 7 years the character has evolved and I feel she is more in touch with the kinder side of things, she has found love and family and is more settled.
HM: Do you identify with your character and is that important?
CDP: I identify with aspects of my character. I like to think I have her strength but I also think would crack a lot easier. I also need to keep up with things physically and feel a sense of responsibility to Ziva.
HM: NCIS has been CBS’s highest rated show for such a long time. What is it like to be part of that phenomenon?
CDP: Remarkable! We do work 10 months out of the year and the cast travel for press tours and everyone has interesting fan stories. The show is huge internationally and we have fans from Australia, Germany, France, all over! I was in museum in Venice once and a group of maybe 25 girls came up to me freaking out. It was adorable. Mark Harmon always says the success of the show is a privilege so we don’t take it for granted.
HM: Paint a picture of what it’s like behind the scenes?
CDP: I wish people knew how much fun it is! In front of the camera we have to be serious but as soon as they say cut, people are laughing and joking around and chatting about weekend. It’s definitely a quirky environment. It’s like family. We go through our ups and downs but we always make it work.
HM: Your theatre work is interesting. You starred in the stage adaptation of The Mambo Kings, and also in the Shakespeare in The Park production of Measure for Measure. Tell me a little about both projects and what those experiences were like?
CDP: The funny thing is that both characters were ingénues, wide-eyed, and the complete opposite of my NCIS character. That’s the beauty of being an actor and getting to explore those differences. With Shakespeare there was heightened language and moments of intense beauty. Mambo Kings was a musical, and such a great experience. I got to dance and fell in love every night on stage.
HM: On the big screen you have starred in The Last Rites of Ransom Pride. Is film something you’d like to do more of and what kind of path would you like to carve out for yourself?
CDP: I’d love to do more film and am drawn more to tragic roles. I also tend to be drawn to period films like Wings of the Dove which is one of my favorite films. I want to do things that are drastically different. I also love foreign film and would love to go to Chile or Argentina and do Spanish language movie which I have never done.
HM: On your off days, what do you love to do?
CDP: Mostly, I love ‘me’ time. Maybe a yoga class or a hike or a massage. I don’t get a lot of time off so when I do, I treat it with respect. I also love spending time with friends but don’t shy away from being with myself.
HM: What’s the life plan?
CDP: Hopefully staying on track…and to keep on doing what I love to do. Staying on track emotionally is also important so, maintaining balance in my life.
