Stars Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo discuss how we get a fresh perspective on the bond between ex-NCIS agents/ex-spouses Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David after they become globe-trotting fugitives
Ever since NCIS audiences discovered that Special Agent Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) had faked her death in the season 13 finale, they started holding out hope that she and her daughter would one day be reunited with NCIS Senior Field Agent Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly). This fall, fans finally received what they’d been asking for. In a 10-episode romp through Europe, viewers caught up with the couple they just want to see settle down.
Just like the NCIS super-fans, former co-stars de Pablo and Weatherly were curious about the fate of Tony and Ziva. But to take a seemingly satisfying conclusion to a complicated love story and start unravelling it, the actors had some requirements. “We wanted to explore the relationship between Tony and Ziva and be able to give them obstacles so that through these very severe circumstances, they get to really come together and work together for the protection of this child that they have,” says de Pablo. “Now that they’re parents, let’s see what that does to the dynamic, what that does to the relationship and how they navigate that.”
What this meant was shattering the fantasy viewers had of Tony and Ziva having already achieved their happily ever after off-screen. “I think if you gave people that from the beginning, there’s nowhere to go other than a potential breakup,” says de Pablo. “It was a lot more interesting to have the characters start the show, having gone through something that is a part of the season-one arc — we flash back a lot to what has happened these past couple of years between these two people — and let the viewers actually get to see it.”
Being able to move away from the procedural format to serialized storytelling meant that Tony and Ziva’s relationship would finally get its due. It also meant an ability to explore what drew these two characters to each other in the first place. “They’re mirrors of each other, and I think that’s what makes the relationship solid and interesting, fun and dynamic, and at times, ‘Whoa, what’s going on?’ because it becomes too scary,” says de Pablo. “Confronting that fear is a part of acknowledging the relationship itself. I think it’s a terrifying thing for a human being to be acknowledged by another fully, to be able to go into something and be really vulnerable. Being seen is a terrifying thing for a lot of people, and I think for them, it really is.”
But with age comes growth, and these two are now able to put in some of the meaningful, hard work to make this very special relationship functional. “There are real breakdowns that happen, and there are windows into extreme vulnerabilities that are exposed. We have beautiful explorations of these characters, and they reveal that to each other,” de Pablo explains. “This really beautiful vulnerability is something that was not really explored on the mothership. Now we have the luxury of time and I think fans will like it.”
While moving to a streaming platform meant more creative freedom than de Pablo and Weatherly had previously had on NCIS, it was still important that the spinoff series shared some of the qualities of the original. As Weatherly muses: “I remember somebody asking, ‘Why do you think NCIS is resonating around the world?’ and it’s because of the family structure that is inside the show. You have Mark Harmon as this stern, stoic father figure with a tragic backstory and the rest of us trying to get his approval. So, when you’re revisiting these characters, you have to have that feeling that you gave people from the original story. How are we going to do that? Well, we had the gift of a new family dynamic, this triangle between Tony and Ziva and [their daughter] Tali (Isla Gie). And that takes maybe a minute for the audience to plug into, but it’s another family dynamic with recognizable roles that you can see yourself in.”
Should the fanbase be hungry for even more romance and danger, Weatherly and de Pablo are certainly not saying no to a second round of adventures for Tony and Ziva. “For me, when I get to the end of The Spy Who Loved Me, and Barbara Bach and Roger Moore are in the little floating bubble, yeah, you’re done with that version of James Bond, but you damn well want some more James Bond coming in Moonraker,” jokes Weatherly. “This 10-episode arc will be a very satisfying 10-course meal, but you’ll be hungry again soon enough.” Picking up on her co-star’s metaphor, de Pablo adds: “We’d love to cook that meal for you.”
The season finale of NCIS: Tony & Ziva streams Thursday, October 23 on Paramount+