Cote De Pablo: Essential Facts About The NCIS Actress
Lifestyle - News
By MARY MADORMO
Real Name
Cote de Pablo's real name is actually Maria Jose de Pablo Fernandez. According to Latinos Post, when de Pablo and her family moved from Chile to Miami, Florida, many of the kids at her school couldn't pronounce her name, so she changed it to “Cote.”
Star Runner
When de Pablo moved to America from Chile at 10 years old, she knew little English, but she had one teacher who helped her find her path. She elaborated, “The only thing I knew really was ‘run,’ so he put me into track and field, and before I knew it, I was a little track and field star.”
Acting
It's hard to picture de Pablo in any other field aside from acting, but she had her heart set on a different life when she was younger. As she shared with TV Guide, “I, believe it or not, wanted to be a secretary, much like Maggie Gyllenhaal in ‘The Secretary.’”
Performing Arts
Cote de Pablo worked hard to learn English and eventually found her place when she went to a performing arts high school. She described that experience, saying, “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.”
Broadway
After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University, de Pablo continued on the theater path, appearing on the New York City Public Theater stage for a Shakespeare production. In an interview for Front Row Features, she said, “I was about to do Broadway right before I got NCIS.”