Why 'NCIS' Alum Pauley Perrette Will 'Never Again' Return to Acting

NCIS alum Pauley Perrette will “never again” return to acting after departing her role as Abby Sciuto 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 in an interview with Hello! magazine published on Tuesday, October 1.

The former actress said she’s a “different person now” compared to who she was when “accidentally” falling into acting. Perrette nabbed her first role on an ABC Afterschool Special in 1994. In the years that followed, the former actress 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 Hello! magazine. “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.”

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Perette further explained that she’s “not ungrateful for the benefits” that her acting career has given to her. She has since 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,” she explained to the publication. “My character didn’t have all of the problems that I was having.”

Perrette added: “It’s why I only watch documentaries, I want the truth.”

The NCIS alum announced in October 2017 that she would not be returning to the show. Perrette claimed in a series of social media posts that she had endured “multiple physical assaults” on the show’s set.

Nearly two years later, Perrette alleged that former costar 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!”

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At the time, she followed up with a separate post alleging that an NCIS crew member 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 claimed, sharing 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 to the allegations at the time in a 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.”