Pauley Perrette is leaving her acting career in the past.
The “NCIS” alum, who claimed she was physically assaulted on set upon her exit from the show in 2018, said she will “never again” act in an interview with “Hello” magazine published Tuesday.
“I’m not ungrateful for the benefits that it gave to me,” Perrette said. “But I’m a different person now and I want to be here for it – the good and the bad and the painful.”
“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,” she added.
Perrette, who now works behind-the-scenes on documentaries, said she’s better off not being in front of the cameras anymore.
“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,” she explained. “It’s like a drug because I didn’t have to be me, I could be somebody else. My character didn’t have all of the problems that I was having.”
“It’s why I only watch documentaries, I want the truth,” Perrette went on. “For me, going back to being an actor would be taking away from this life of true authenticity that I’m living 100% of the time.”
Perrette’s acting career began in the 1990s, with roles in shows like “Murder One,” “Frasier,” “The Drew Carey Show,” “Jesse,” “Time of Your Life,” “Dawson’s Creek” and “24.”
She was also in the films “Almost Famous,” “My First Mister” and “Ash Tuesday.”
In 2003, Perrette began playing forensic specialist Abby Sciuto on “NCIS.” She departed the CBS series in May 2018 after claiming she suffered “multiple” attacks on the set.
CBS was supportive of Perrette’s allegations, saying, “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.”
Perrette was pleased with the response at the time, writing, “I want to thank my studio and network CBS. They have always been so good to me and always had my back.”
Over a year later, Perrette accused her former co-star Mark Harmon of attacking her in a bombshell tweet.
“NO I AM NOT COMING BACK! EVER! (Please stop asking?)” she wrote, referring to her potentially returning to “NCIS.”
She added, “I am terrified of Harmon and him attacking me. I have nightmares about it.”
Harmon, 73, never responded to Perrette’s accusation. He left “NCIS” in 2021 after playing Jethro Gibbs for 18 years.
