“NCIS” fans have long speculated about the words whispered by Leroy Jethro Gibbs to Ziva David in a Season 7 scene. The moment was intimate, paternal, and mute — leaving viewers to guess. Now, Mark Harmon has finally addressed it, though not with the revelation many hoped for.
In a 2019 interview with TV Insider, Harmon was coy when asked about the whisper. “You’re not getting this from me,” he said. But he did admit the words were inconsequential because it was actually Harmon speaking to Cote de Pablo as a scene partner, not Gibbs to Ziva. “It’s not so much a secret, but an actor thing,” he explained.
The whisper came at a pivotal moment, upon Ziva’s surprising return from a shocking Season 6 twist. It drew extra attention because it felt more paternally intimate than Gibbs usually got — even with Ziva. Fans were bummed that Harmon wouldn’t reveal the exact words. They were likely more so when he clarified he was speaking out of character.
Cote de Pablo, however, was quick to share that this is a common technique for Harmon. “Mark does that all the time,” she told TV Insider. “He’ll whisper in your ear right before a take or talk to you about stuff you don’t want to talk about.” She explained that afterward he’d say, “Oh, by the way, I was just doing that so we can get a take.” Harmon added that he only uses this approach with actors he knows well. “When you know people well and you know how they work, it comes from respect,” he said. “It’s not about manipulation. I know how she rolls. And she knows me the same way.”
It remains unclear why this particular whisper made the final cut, aside from adding drama. But the impact is not diminished by the de-mythologizing. And knowing Harmon and de Pablo are as close off-screen as on-screen adds a layer of warmth to the scene.