CBSTony DiNozzo and Ziva David are meant to be, right?
So it makes sense that Ziva is playing such a huge role in Michael Weatherly's exit from NCIS—despite the fact that Cote de Pablo left the show two years ago.
Ahead of Weatherly's final episode of the long-running series, airing Tuesday at 8 p.m. on CBS, E! News asked the actor to reflect on his character's fan-favorite relationship.
"I remember so vividly the screen test with Cote and telling her that she was sort of like a Salma Hayek-looking person. I just remember her cold stare. She loathed me instantly—and I mean Michael Weatherly. She just loathed. It was great when we became quickly very, very close friends," he told us.
"Lauren Holly and Cote de Pablo and Pauley Perrette and I all lived in this apartment complex for a couple of years and there was a real bonding that happened in seasons three and four. And so when I think about Cote, a lot of that early stuff—which is before the show really took off—we were able to fly under the radar and have fun and do these episodes under covers and boxed in. Really fun, silly stuff. Every day was a smorgasbord of creativity and a lot of laughter."
Weatherly said he respects how "honest and connected" de Pablo is, even though that can occasionally be mistaken. "She speaks very plainly and from her heart and I think that's to be admired. I always admired it when we were working together because she would call me on my stuff any time, day or night, that we were shooting. And as a coworker and a fellow actor, Pauley Perrette is the same way. It's a wonderful trait when people that you're working with can be dead honest with you. It was one of the great experiences of my life being completely unsure of what was going to happen in a scene with her. It's definitely a highlight for me."
Although de Pablo has reportedly said she won't be returning for the episode, appropriately titled "Family First," Ziva will play a huge role. We learned in the penultimate episode of the season that the farmhouse in Israel where Ziva was supposed to be living is engulfed in flames, and that will obviously be addressed in the finale.
"Her presence in the final episode, I think that audiences will feel very strongly that she's in the episode in a way that might be a little Shakespearean but it's real. I think it's going to be a very exciting time for the fans of that relationship," Weatherly teased.
The NCIS season 13 finale, Weatherly's last episode, airs Tuesday, May 17 at 8 p.m. on CBS.