Cote de Pablo plays bad-ass Israeli agent Ziva David on the hit show NCIS, but in real life she’s more of yoga-addicted Latina homebody with refreshingly down-to-earth views on weight and body shape.

I always describe myself as sort of a hippie. Deep inside, I’m not a glamorous person. I come from a traditional, conservative world.

You don’t seem like a hippie, though.
I always say I’ll be a great older character actor [laughs] because I somehow identify with women who have gone through things, like the women in Stephen Sondheim’s musicals. Maybe it’s because I’m an older soul. I don’t know why at such a young age I could understand where they were coming from. Maybe it was the loss of my country at such a young age. Maybe it does something to you.

So you love food–but you’ve never had a weight problem.
I had lots of issues with my stomach a few years ago. I had wanted to get off the Pill, because I’d been on it for a while and I thought that at some point I would want to get pregnant. So I took a shot of Depo-Provera for birth control. Within two months, voom, I gained fifteen pounds in my belly because it felt like it was pregnant. It was an eye-opener.

It really affected you, didn’t it?
There were two ways of looking at it: You could say, “Oh, God,” and cry about it, or say, “You know what? This is who I am. I’m going to be carrying a little more weight, and I don’t care.” Sometimes nature needs to do what it has to do to get something out of your system. And then, once it’s out, you’re fine.

How long did it last?
It took me about two years to get back on track. I went back on the Pill, and eventually everything went back to the way it had always been. I feel so much better now.

What sort of yoga do you practice?
Four or five days a week, I do open flow Vinyasa [breath-synchronized yoga]. I bring a teacher, who happens to be a great friend, to my house. You look at this woman’s body and you go, “Wow, the benefits of yoga!” You can see that there’s a lift everywhere. And it’s completely natural. There’s nothing fake about her body. I love natural beauty.

In what ways do you identify with Ziva?
My character’s strength is like mine, to a completely different degree. Losing family members because of a war… I have moments when I just have to hold my heart. But I also have to remember that if I played the character from my point of view, she’d be falling apart all the time. She has to keep it together–it’s the world she grew up in.

What were some of the bigger challenges you faced in order to play her?
I had literally forty-eight hours to learn a monologue in Hebrew. That was terrifying. I used to look down on people who were, for example, playing a Latin role, because I could tell that they didn’t speak Spanish. It would get on my nerves. Then I realized, Oh, God, I’m in that place right now. Everything I had judgments on has turned around and bitten me in the butt.

NCIS fans want more quality time between Ziva and Tony [Michael Weatherly]. Are you dating anyone in real life?
I’m in a long-term relationship with [actor] Diego Serrano, and I’m very happy. He’s the worst influence that I have ever had in my entire life, and I love him for it. [Laughs] Every once in a while, he turns to me and goes, “Live a little.” I’ll have chicken with broccoli and he’s like, “What about the chocolate cake?” If it weren’t for him, I’d be the most boring person in Los Angeles.

What do you like to do together?
My partner’s idea of fun is to dress up, get in the car, pump the music, go clubbing. I could not be further away from that. I love being at home, having friends over. For me, a great time is an intimate dinner, candles, fantastic bossa nova in the background, wonderful wine, food, conversation for hours without having to go anywhere. So we balance each other.

[Prevention, print edition, January 2011]

And here’s her recipe for what sounds like a delicious pasta sauce.

“One of my favorite things in the world, and also one of the simplest things to make, uses cherry tomatoes–the ones that are really sweet and really tiny.

“In winter, I heat up a big pan or wok and put in a lot of olive oil and a lot of garlic, pepper, and salt. I get a big yellow Spanish onion, put it in the food processor, and dice it. I throw that in the pan with the garlic and caramelize the onion so it’s nice and brown. Then I cut the tomatoes in half and throw them in, and let all of that cook for a while–I like my tomatoes caramelized with the onions. Put this sauce on top of any pasta, and throw any cheese you want on it. Delicious.”

I like her character on NCIS, especially the sexual tension with Tony (which I hope they don’t consumate until the very last episode of the series). I find it interesting how Cote seems like the anti-Ziva in real life. The Prevention article talks about how she hurt her neck doing a stunt for NCIS and turned to yoga to help with the pain. I can’t picture Ziva doing that.

Plus, she doesn’t seem to be obsessed with being thin and wrinkle-free, like so many Hollywood actresses. If you’re healthy inside, it will show on the outside, and Cote is a great example of that.

Note by Kaiser: I love her! Ziva David is a great television heroine. And I think Ziva and Tony have already consummated plenty. Remember that trip to Paris?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

It seems like the past few days, I’ve been consumed with imaginary boyfriends. Clive Owen, Jeremy Renner, Gerard Butler, all great choices for my boyfriends. But I forgot about my great love: Mark Harmon. I loved this man since I was a little girl. I fell for him when he and Marlee Matlin did that cop-and-lawyer show. And I’ve loved him ever since. So it’s a little surprising that this is the inaugural Mark Harmon post on Celebitchy, but I have to start somewhere. Now, I love NCIS. It’s one of my favorite shows. My sentimental, patriotic side loves the story lines about war, honor, sacrifice, and the brotherhood (and sisterhood) of the armed forces. My feminist side loves the well-drawn women of the show. And my CNN-watching side loves the story lines about terrorism and international intrigue. And, basically, I just love me some LeRoy Jethro Gibbs. Gibbs 4 Eva.

So this is Mark and the cast of NCIS (minus Pauley Perrette, there only in cutout) at the PaleyFest in LA. Considering NCIS is consistently one of the best-rated shows on television – often number one in the ratings for primetime, hour-long dramas – it’s surprising how little press the cast actually does. I can’t remember ever reading a Mark Harmon red carpet interview before today. Basically, none of this piece will mean anything to people who don’t watch or care about NCIS, so just be warned:

Now going on seven years strong, the cast of the hit CBS show NCIS talked to RadarOnline.com at PaleyFest in Los Angeles Monday night about the secret to their success, a possible girl power storyline, and their thoughts on NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles teaming up to kick some criminal butt.

“The hair!” joked Michael Weatherly of his Robert Pattinson-inspired locks, and his reason for the longevity of the show, which hit the CBS primetime lineup in 2003.

“His hair, maybe” agreed Mark Harmon, aka Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs who leads the NCIS team. “I think it’s usually been a talented group of people and I’m not just talking about people in front of the camera… I’ve been on a lot of sets and it’s a rare mix where professionals are asked to do their job and do it well and do what they do without looking over their shoulder and that’s what we do.”

“I think it’s the fact that it’s a prodecural, but there’s comedy in it,” said Cote de Pablo, who plays Mossad agent Ziva David. “I think there’s a little bit of everything in it for everyone that’s watching it, and I think there’s a dynamic between these characters that people really appreciate.”

But die-hard NCIS followers, don’t look for romance anytime soon between Special Agent DiNozzi (played by Weatherly) and Agent David — a seven-year storyline full of flirtatious tension fans have been able to cut with a knife — and what they tune in to watch each week in eager anticipation.

“I think the idea of unfulfilled sexual tension is good. I like to keep a little bit of mystery. But it is a blast working with Michael. You never know what’s going to come. He’s a ham,” said de Pablo.

A description that was definitely in full effect during PaleyFest, as Weatherly toted around a lifesized cardboard cut-out of co-star Pauley Perrette, who couldn’t make it to the panel discussion. But Weatherly’s co-stars took his loving gesture in stride.

“It’s Michael!” said Rocky Carroll, who plays the director of NCIS. “To say that his character is a stretch from [Agent] Tony, I’d be lying… we have a lot of fun on the show.”

Besides romance, other storylines that look more likely to make it on-screen include one that de Pablo has already pitched to executives and implores fans to get behind.

“We’ve pitched a lot of things and one of the big things we’d love to do is Pauley and I would love to do an Abby/Ziva undercover episode. That would be so much fun,” she said. “We’re crossing our fingers, we’re hoping it happens, we’ve pitched it to the writers a thousand times. They have it in the backburner and I hope they do it. Hopefully the fans will write in a say, ‘We want that episode!’”

Others hope for an NCIS showdown between the DC and Los Angeles agents (look out Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J!)

“It could happen,” Carroll said of a possible future episode. “What I’m hoping is that because I’m the director of NCIS on the show I’m hoping for another spinoff in a much more tropical setting say NCIS Bermuda.”

“I think we should have a paintball wars, but you could also have a really fierce game of checkers for the nerdier guys,” said Weatherly.

But you gotta go with what the boss wants — and Harmon agreed that ditching the DC snow for sunnier skies would be a welcome change.

“I just know that when they do NCIS Bermuda,” he said with a smile, “that’s the one me and the crew are going on.”

[From Radar]

Sigh… Michael Weatherly actually seems like a really good guy, unlike his character Tony. It’s not that Tony is horrible – he’s a great cop, and he’s really funny, but he’s horrible with women. After Gibbs, my favorites are Ziva and Abby – I love how strong the women are on that show, and for my money, Ziva is the most kick-ass woman on television right now. I would love a Ziva-and-Abby based episode… that would be amazing!

Cast of NCIS on March 1, 2010 in LA.