“NCIS” alum Pauley Perrette will “never” return to acting

Pauley Perrette is quitting her acting career in the past.

The “NCIS” alum, who claimed she was physically assaulted on set after leaving the show in 2018, said she will “never act again” in an interview with Hello magazine published Tuesday.

“I’m not ungrateful for the benefits it has brought me,” Perrette said. “But I’m a different person now and I want to be there for everything – the good, the bad and the painful.”

“I want to be myself all the time and it takes a lot of courage to tell myself that, but it’s authentic to how I feel,” she added.

Perrette, who now works behind the scenes on documentaries, said she feels better off being in front of the camera.

“At this point in my life, I feel a deep need to find authenticity in everything, and acting, especially at certain times in my life, has been a great outlet,” she explained. “It’s like a drug because I didn’t have to be myself, I could be someone else. My character didn’t have all the problems that I had.”

“That’s why I only watch documentaries, I want the truth,” Perrette continued. “For me, a return to acting would mean a loss of this life full of real authenticity that I live 100%.”

Perrette’s acting career began in the 1990s with roles in series such as “Murder One,” “Frasier,” “The Drew Carey Show,” “Jesse,” “Time of Your Life,” “Dawson’s Creek” and “24.”

She also appeared in the films Almost Famous, My First Mister and Ash Tuesday.

In 2003, Perrette began playing the role of forensic scientist Abby Sciuto on NCIS. She left the CBS series in May 2018 after claiming she suffered “multiple” attacks on set.

CBS supported Perrette’s allegations, saying, “Over a year ago, Pauley came to us with workplace concerns. We took the matter seriously and worked with her to find a solution. We are committed to providing a safe work environment at all of our shows.”

Perrette was pleased with the response at the time and wrote: “I would like to thank my studio and network CBS. They were always so good to me and always had my back.”

Over a year later, Perrette accused her former co-star Mark Harmon of attacking her in a bombshell tweet.

“NO, I’m not coming back! ALWAYS! (Please stop asking?),” she wrote, referring to her possible return to “NCIS.”

She added: “I’m terrified that he and Harmon will attack me. I have nightmares about it.”

Harmon, 73, never responded to Perrette’s accusation. He left “NCIS” in 2021 after playing Jethro Gibbs for 18 years.