Pauley Perrette is done with acting forever.
The former actress, 55, shared during an interview with Hello! on Tuesday, October 1 why she will “never” act again.
“I am not ungrateful for the benefits it has [acting] he gave me,” she told the outlet. “But I’m a different person now and I want to be here for it — the good, the bad and the painful. I want to be me all the time, and it takes a lot of courage to say that to myself, but that’s how I feel authentic.”
Pauley Perrette says she’s ‘so happy and healthy’ after ‘few devastatingly difficult years’
Pauley Perrette on ‘NCIS.’ Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty
Perrette’s decades-long career began in the ’90s with appearances on shows such as Early Edition, The First Kill and Frasier. She is best known for her role as forensic scientist Abby Sciuto NCIS for 15 seasons from 2003 to 2018 — a role she exited after claiming “multiple physical assaults” occurred during her time on the show.
In May 2018, CBS released a statement to PEOPLE confirming that the actress had come out with “workplace concerns” more than a year prior.
“Pauley Perrette had a great run NCIS and we will all miss him,” CBS Television Studios said in a statement. “Over a year ago, Pauley came to us with concerns about his workplace. We took the matter seriously and found a solution together with her. We are committed to a safe working environment in all our shows.”
Pauley Perrette thanks her ‘Abby fans’ in heartfelt video after final ‘NCIS’ episode
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Pauley Perrette in Los Angeles, California in July 2022. Phillip Faraone/Getty
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After recovering from a severe stroke in 2021, Perrette is now focused on her work behind the camera as a producer on projects including the 2023 documentary Studio One Forever, which explored the LGBTQ+ history behind the now closed Studio One disco.
“At this point in my life, I have this deep need to find authenticity in everything, and being an actor, especially at certain times in my life, has been a great escape,” she told Hello! “It’s like a drug because I didn’t have to be me, I could have been someone else. My character didn’t have all the problems that I had.”
“That’s why I only watch documentaries, I want the truth,” added Perrette. “For me, going back to being an actor would be taking away from this life of true authenticity that I live 100% of the time.”
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Source: HIS Education