NCIS Alum Pauley Perrette Reveals Why She'll 'Never' Return to Acting Again

Pauley Perrette has hung up her hat when it comes to acting. In a new interview with Hello! magazine Tuesday, the NCIS alum said she will "never again" return to the screen after departing from her role as Abby Sciuto on the beloved series in 2018. "Going back to being an actor would be taking away from this life of true authenticity that I’m living 100 percent of the time," Perrette, 55, explained. The former actress said it in large part boils down to her being a "different person now" than who she was when she first "accidentally" fell into acting back in the '90s. Perrette got her first role on the ABC Afterschool Special in 1994, and in the years that followed, appeared in various TV shows and movies. She made her debut as Abby in NCIS when the show premiered in 2003. "I want to be here for it -- the good and the bad and the painful," she told the outlet. "I want to be me all the time, and it takes a good amount of courage for me to say that to myself but it's authentically how I feel." Perette made clear that she's "not ungrateful for the benefits" that her acting career has afforded her, adding that she hasn't totally left Hollywood altogether. These days, she's shifted her focus to executive producing documentaries. "At this point in my life I have this deep need to find authenticity in everything, and being an actor, especially at certain points in my life, was a great escape; it's like a drug because I didn't have to be me, I could be somebody else," Perrette shared. "My character didn't have all of the problems that I was having." "It's why I only watch documentaries, I want the truth," she added. The former NCIS actress announced in October 2017 that she would not be returning to the show after she claimed in a series of social media posts that she had endured "multiple physical assaults" on the show's set. It wasn't until years later, however, that Perrette alleged that former co-star, Mark Harmon, was the reason behind her NCIS exit. "NO I AM NOT COMING BACK! EVER! (Please stop asking?) I am terrified of Harmon and him attacking me," Perrette alleged in a social media post from June 2019. "I have nightmares about it. I have a new show that is SAFE AND HAPPY! You'll love it! #HappyPlace Love y'all!" At the time, she followed up with a separate post alleging that an NCIS crew member also suffered injuries while on set. "You think I didn't expect blow back? You got me wrong. THIS happened To my crew member and I fought like hell to keep it from happening again!" Perrette went on to claim, haring a photo of the alleged crew member’s black eye. "To protect my crew! And then I was physically assaulted for saying NO!? and I lost my job." CBS responded Perrette's allegations at the time with this statement: "Pauley Perrette had a terrific run on NCIS and we are all going to miss her. Over a year ago, Pauley came to us with a workplace concern. We took the matter seriously and worked with her to find a resolution. We are committed to a safe work environment on all our shows."