Pauley Perrette has announced her decision to leave acting behind, expressing that she is in a different phase of her life. The former star of NCIS, who portrayed Abby Sciuto for 15 years, departed the show in 2018 and ceased acting following the cancellation of her sitcom Broke in 2020.
In a recent interview with Hello magazine, Perrette stated emphatically that she will “never again” pursue acting, acknowledging the positive experiences it provided her but emphasizing her desire to embrace her true self. “I want to be here for it – the good and the bad and the painful,” she explained. “I want to be me all the time… it takes a good amount of courage for me to say that to myself but it’s authentically how I feel.”
Since her departure from acting, Perrette has shifted her focus to producing documentaries, including the recent release Studio One Forever, which highlights an LGBT nightclub in West Hollywood, California. Reflecting on her journey, she mentioned, “At this point in my life I have this deep need to find authenticity in everything. Being an actor was a great escape; 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.”