There are sometimes well-kept secrets. This is one of them. The return of this beloved character from NCIS was obviously a surprise for the fans but not only that!
Cote de Pablo, who is now leading his own series with Michael Weatherly, the spin-off Tony et Zivaleft NCIS at the start of season 11 after eight seasons on screen. Despite her departure, we saw her character of Ziva David again in other episodes. It was impossible to say goodbye to her definitively, as she had become one of the most popular characters in the series. Cote De Pablo, who has very good memories of the series, therefore made a surprise return in the last moments of the finale of season 16, then appeared again in several episodes of season 17. Important measures were taken to ensure that the actress' return remains a closely guarded secret. “We did a whole scene that never made it to air.”recalls executive producer Mark Horowitz.
NCIS : production is “very good at keeping secrets”
“It only existed on a sheet of paper, and we only showed it to the dozen or so people who were going to be involved, and that was it.”he adds. “We developed what I called Fight Club rules. We invoke the rules of Fight Club: we will not talk about it. You can't tell your wife, your husband, your children, your friends at the bar, anyone.”says the executive producer. According to Mark Horowitz, the production was “very good at keeping secrets”. Besides, “These surprises that happened in front of the public also surprised many, many people who worked on the series and who were not informed of what we were going to do“.
NCIS : Ziva's fake death
When Cote de Pablo left, it was initially believed that Ziva had died off-screen at the end of season 13, but Tony refused to believe it. After resigning from NCIS, he went to Israel to search for answers with their daughter Tali, whose existence he had just learned. He then went to Paris to pay tribute to Ziva who loved the French capital so much. It wasn't until season 16 that Ellie Bishop discovered that Ziva was still alive. Some time later, in the finale of season 16, we found Ziva in Leroy Jethro Gibbs' basement to warn him that he was in danger.
Article written in collaboration with 6Medias
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