Fan favorite Pauley Perrette played a quirky forensic specialist named Abby on NCIS for
a whopping 15 seasons before exiting the show in 2018 after more than 350 episodes.
Abby's legacy is secure, but there's a lot about the actress who played her that only
NCIS diehards know about.
Here's the untold truth of Pauley Perrette.
Marriage woes
When Perrette announced her engagement to actor and former British Marine Thomas Arklie
in 2011, the self-proclaimed "loud LGBT activist" also announced that they wouldn't be getting
married until everyone else had the right to marry, too.
But when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage in 2015, Perrette and her
husband-to-be didn't rush to set their own date.
In fact, that wedding day never arrived — and as of the making of this video, Perrette and
Arklie are no longer together.
Though she was open with the press about her engagement, Perrette was nearly radio silent
regarding her rumored split with Arklie.
In 2018, during a CBS News interview, the previously married Perrette finally opened
up a bit, saying marriage just ultimately doesn't seem to be in the cards for her.
"Nope.
Tried it.
Not for me.
Not at all.
[...] I don't have to have a boyfriend, or a husband, or a girlfriend, or anything, you
know?"
Battling stalkers
In September 2017, Perrette broke her silence on a decade-long ordeal with a stalker.
Though she chose not to give any specific details about her own case, Perrette said
that she, quote, "100 percent" believes her life is in danger, and that she lives in a
constant state of fear.
Following the shooting of singer Christina Grimmie, Perrette told CBS News that she never
felt comfortable coming forward over concerns for her own safety.
But Grimmie's slaying was, quote, "a cold reminder that stalking is a deadly problem."
Perrette decided to act.
Along with California Congressman Adam Schiff, the actress is working to strengthen existing
laws related to stalking, as well as put new ones on the books to address the new ways
that stalkers are harassing their victims.
Perrette said,
"Stalking laws do not work right now.
They have not been updated in 20 years.
In that 20 years, so much has happened — mainly the internet."
Southern roots
Pauley Perrette is a Southern girl at heart.
Born in New Orleans, she told WANE her family moved 13 times, with her father's piece of
Alabama property being the only, quote, "solid home base" she ever had.
According to Perrette, heading to California for a life in front of the camera was not
part of her original plan.
"My dad is a firefighter and as are all my cousins [...] I am the only person in my family
that's in the entertainment industry.
And I studied sociology, psychology and criminal science in school, so this was just a complete
accident."
Animal lover
Perrette told CBS News that her love of dogs is off-the-charts:
"Like, my dogs are my happiness.
They're my reason for living."
Perrette has shared her home with many rescue animals, as well as special needs and senior
pets.
In 2013, the actress went the extra mile to help law enforcement dogs live longer, happier
lives.
For her birthday, she asked friends, family, and fans to donate to Kevlar for K9's, an
organization that supplies law enforcement and military dogs with Kevlar vests.
Her tweets garnered more than 440,000 responses.
Tattoo talk
The distinctive spiderweb tattoo Perrette sports on her neck on NCIS is fake, as is
the cross on her back.
However, some of her real tattoos do make it into the show.
In fact, she has so much ink that she's lost track of her total number of tats.
Her favorite?
Something simple on the ring finger of her left hand.
She told Parade,
"I have the numbers 12:21.
That's my favorite Bible verse, Romans 12:21, which is, 'Don't be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good.'
That's my favorite one and I look at it every day.
That's my mantra."
Gotta have faith
It's not surprising that Pauley Perrette's favorite tattoo is one that refers to a Bible
verse, because the actress credits her faith with getting her through a lot in life — including
being attacked by a mentally unstable homeless man outside her home in 2015.
"I was praying, and praying, and praying my heart out."
A few days after the incident, Entertainment Tonight reported that she sought comfort in
her congregation.
Perrette reportedly attends the Hollywood United Methodist Church, and after one visit
there, she tweeted: "So so so good to be at church today."
In 2011, the actress talked to the United Methodist Church about her developing faith.
She said that even though there were times when she didn't go to church, her faith had
always been strong enough to get her through even the toughest times.
The Abby Effect
During an appearance on The Talk to discuss her departure from NCIS after 15 years, Perrette
spoke about how important it was to her that the show had a direct impact on the lives
of so many young people, particularly girls.
This influence has been dubbed "The Abby Effect," and it describes how female fans of Perrette's
character have been inspired to pursue degrees in math and science.
To help keep it going, the actress set up scholarships in her name at two different
colleges.
"It's been such a real thing…these are real people who now 16 years later have gotten
their degrees in science and math."
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