The actors recently brought back their beloved characters for the long-awaited spinoff series, and they tell PEOPLE that they were just as excited as their fans to be back on screen together. After eight seasons on the original NCIS, Weatherly, 57, and Pablo, 45, say they have integrated their real-life banter into the show.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s what I love so much about working with Cote,\u201d the Bull alum says. \u201cBecause sometimes the next line that comes out of my mouth is, \u2018I have no response to that,\u2019 or, \u2018I don’t know what to say.\u2019 Then that’s not what was written, but it ends up being in the show, because that’s Tony’s response to Ziva, which is like, she has his number, and he has her number.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Richard Foreman\/CBS via Getty<\/p>\n
Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo in NCIS<\/p>\n
\u201cIf somebody came up to me or Cote, like a director or a writer, and tried to tell us what our character was thinking or feeling, that was a bad idea,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
While they both acknowledge their ability to improvise in that way \u201cis unusual,\u201d the duo praises their directors for allowing them to take the reins. When they began filming Tony & Ziva with a new set of costars, Weatherly reveals he tried to cultivate the same energy on set.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would all mess with each other,\u201d he admits. \u201cYou have to find the fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pablo then quips: \u201cYou have to fun it up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. If somebody doesn’t like saying \u2018Mr. Sivapatha Sindaru,\u2019 you got to be like, \u2018What was the name?\u2019 You\u2019ve got to make him say it again, even if it’s not scripted,\u201d Weatherly laughs.<\/p>\n
He says that part of what makes Tony & Ziva such a “beautiful sequel\u201d is that the cast, although less familiar with their characters than Weatherly and Pablo were, always brought \u201ctheir own energy and light\u201d to the story.<\/p>\n
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Marcell Piti\/Paramount+<\/p>\n
Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly<\/p>\n
One scene that he recalls going entirely off-script occurs in one of the first episodes, where Nassima Benchicou\u2019s Martine holds a gun up to Tony\u2019s neck.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember when we were shooting, it wasn’t in the script,\u201d he explains. \u201cShe just did it. I was like, \u2018That’s not in the script. What are we doing? What are we doing with the gun? What are we doing?\u2019 Now, it was a plastic gun, but she was like, \u2018How can I make Michael Weatherly uncomfortable?\u2019 Or, \u2018How can Martine make Tony DiNozzo uncomfortable?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese things blur when you’re working,\u201d he notes. \u201cBut that requires trust, faith in the process and in the whole creative endeavor, and everybody was game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n The first three episodes of NCIS: Tony & Ziva are now streaming on Paramount+, with new episodes each Thursday until the Oct. 23 season finale.<\/p>\n