Cote de Pablo might’ve found fame on “NCIS,” but she actually is a much more versatile actor outside of television. In an interview with Prevention in February 2012, de Pablo revealed that she went to a performing arts high school, which enabled her to hone her talents in acting, singing, and dancing. “I had always been interested in the arts, but performing became even more important because it was a way to communicate with people in my new country,” De Pablo spoke of her childhood immigrant from Chile. “Those were defining years for me.”
De Pablo went on to Carnegie Mellon University to study musical theatre after high school. She continued in theatre after she graduated from her studies, appearing on the New York City Public Theater stage for a Shakespeare production, but she had to give up her Broadway dreams when she auditioned for “NCIS” in 2005. “I was about to do Broadway (“The Mambo Kings”) right before I got “NCIS”…so I went from my chance of doing a Broadway show into doing the series,” she revealed to Front Row Features in November 2015.
Though de Pablo’s decision to go with “NCIS” gave her worldwide recognition, she still hopes to realize her dream of being a Broadway star, telling the outlet, “It’s something still pending that I want to do.”