After so many years since Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo have regularly acted together, fans have worried about one particular challenge forNCIS: Tony & Ziva. Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo was part of the flagshipNCISseries' cast from the start, an original team member since the pilot episode.
Meanwhile, Cote de Pablo’s Ziva David joined the series two years later, first appearing in theNCISseason 3 premiere. From the start, the dynamic between the characters was one of frenemies, setting up their inevitable enemies-to-lovers arc. Still,Tony and Ziva’s relationship has yet to be properly established in theNCISfranchise, despite them having a daughter together.
That chemistry was real, not only for the characters, but also for the actors. Now that they’re shaking off the rust and returning intheNCIS: Tony & Zivaspinoff, it remains to be seen if the chemistry is still there or if their relationship will be something wholly different. During theTony & Zivapanel at San Diego Comic-Con, whichScreenRant’s Rachel Foertsch attended, the pair admitted it was a concern for them in the beginning.
Michael Weatherly & Cote De Pablo Worried They Wouldn’t Regain Their Chemistry In The Spinoff
It Was A Similar Fear Shared By Fans
It’s fair forNCISfans to wonder if the great chemistry that Weatherly and de Pablo had in the originalNCISmight fall flat in the spinoff. It’s been five years since they shared a screen, when they both appeared in theNCISseason 17 finale in 2020. Five years is a lifetime in Hollywood, and things change.
As it turns out, audiences weren’t the only ones who had that concern when it was announced that Tony and Ziva would be returning to the small screen. During theNCIS: Tony & ZivaSDCC panel, which was moderated by Brian Dietzen, both de Pablo and Weatherly admitted that they also had the same concerns about not being able to get back what they had in the original
.
Chemistry can be a fickle thing, and there’s no predicting when that magical alchemy that creates a great dynamic on-screen will gel – or fizzle out. That holds true even if the actors have previous experience with each other. De Pablo and Weatherly were always a fantastic pairing, but it’s entirely possible that, once it was up to them to carry a show on their own instead of being just two pieces ofNCIS' big ensemble cast, the magic would disappear.
They’re Just As Committed To Their Characters As Ever
Luckily, it appears that their fears and ours were unwarranted. As de Pablo shared during the SDCC panel, acting across from Michael Weatherly once again was like riding a bike - and a little bit magical, meaning we might get more of thoseromanticNCISmoments between Tony and Zivaagain:
“I’m going back to the greatest adventure of my life. There were moments when I would look at Michael in a scene, and we were on the same wavelength. It’s something, like I said, we manifested. We had these questions [about Tony & Ziva] that we wanted to answer.”
Even more exciting than them being on the same wavelength is the fact that they both had questions that they still wanted answers to. It shows that even after playing Tony and Ziva for so long, both actors are still deeply interested in the characters and haven’t grown tired of portraying them yet.
It appears de Pablo and Weatherly are dedicated to recapturing the magic they had the first time around withNCIS: Tony & Ziva.
It would have been incredibly disappointing, not to mention obvious on screen, had both actors stepped back into their old, familiar roles only to realize they no longer fit them. Instead, it appears they are dedicated to recapturing the magic they had the first time around withNCIS: Tony & Ziva. And now, we get to see our fan-favorite characters shine brightly on their own.
