Maria Bello Talks About Jack & Gibbs’ ‘Great Love’ — and Where She’s Headed Post-‘NCIS’

Maria Bello as NCIS Special Agent Jacqueline 'Jack' Sloane, Mark Harmon as NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS - 'True Believer'

It’s no secret that Maria Bello is leaving long-running crime procedural NCIS on which she’s played smart, savvy forensic psychologist “Jack” Sloane since 2017. The actress even shared pics of her emotional final day on set on her Instagram account this past December.

“I’ve had this commitment for years to make a movie, The Woman King, with Viola Davis,” Bello tells TV Insider. “It’s a female Braveheart based on 5,000 women warriors in [the 18th- and 19th-century African kingdom of] Dahomey, modern-day Benin. The French said they were the biggest badasses they’d ever fought.”

Also on the docket, she says, a pilot in Haiti that combines her love of “adventure travel and women’s history.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Maria Bello (@officialmariabello)

But first, on March 2 her character has a major NCIS episode, when she and head honcho Gibbs (Mark Harmon) go to Afghanistan after Sloane’s old friend and a busload of schoolgirls she was chaperoning are kidnapped. (The Taliban may be involved.)

“[Gibbs and Sloane] want to do this mission together,” Bello says. “People ask, ‘Are they sleeping together?’ Safe to say [this episode] will be a continuation of that great love they have for each other.”

For more about the episode, including the amount of tears she shed when leaving the show, watch our interview above.

NCIS, Tuesday, March 2, 8/7c, CBS




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  1. B

    BlueClover

    I have always liked Bello's acting and here curves are amazing. I've followed here since the 90's. When she arrived on the set of NCIS. I usually don't like a change, but Bello was refreshing. To me it finally made up for Tony's departure.

    12 3

  2. O

    OliveBullhorn

    I love her and have followed her for a long time. I will miss the rest of what her storyline could have been.

    I would love to see the project she is going to be working on , it sounds so exciting and empowering to woman. I think we need to share more history as well.

    Thanks Maria !

    8

  3. R

    RedRocket

    I liked her very much, sorry to see her leave.

    8 1

  4. O

    OliveCone

    I hate 2 see her go! I've always liked her acting & she's lovely. cant wait 2 see the movie! I did hope she & Gibbs would get together but I think they just got each other as friends!

    5 1

  5. P

    PurpleGlasses

    NCIS has always had the balls to reflect a bit of what’s going on in our world today. If they reflected mask wearing on the show, it was in an effort to support us in caring for one another. If you’re not part of the solution Patty, you’re part of the problem. Shame on you.

    2

  6. B

    BlueBeer

    Aww I'll miss seeing her on ncis. I hope she enjoys her next goal. I miss the other characters too.

    2

  7. B

    BlueBandAid

    I think Maria's character was so amazingly played and I am sad to see her go! I would be happy if they explored the Jack/Gibbs relationship but I can live with the ending they got. She is such a good actor! I can't wait to see what her next project will be like! Thank you for your time and awesome acting on NCIS the last 3 and a half years Maria! I hope we see Jack Sloane again soon!!! ❤️

    1

  8. O

    OliveHelmet

    I don't care for the Sloane, Torres or Bishop characters or the character that replaced Abby (forgot her name). NCIS has gotten awfully watered down since Di Nozzo, Ziva and Abby left the series. McGee, Ducky and Jimmy are still great and Gibbs is the glue that holds the series together.

    3 2

    1. G

      GreenBone

      I agree with you,show has lost its luster Bishop dresses like she lives in a homeless shelter ,Torres seems out of place plus for a show that is supposedly near Washington all their crimes must only happen in warm weather, Sloan was growing on me though

      2

  9. B

    BlueCone

    NCIS is the #1 show keep it coming Love. It

  10. B

    BlueGrapes

    I never mentioned to say Robinson. when talking bout abbys replacement.The new gal dont cut it .I wish she was leaving not sloan

  11. B

    BlueGrapes

    Sloan is awesome sad to see her go .Ziva can never be replaced .As for Tony he was a total dick always treated other agents like crap I never liked is character ..stay on Bull .The only other character I can't get use Robison Abbys replacement .The lab is not the same.Good luck in your future endeavors Maria Bello .

  12. O

    OrangePin

    Hate to see her go! Sloan always added a little spark to the series!

    1 1

  13. C

    CyanBottle

    Will not miss Jack.

    1 1

  14. R

    RedBowtie

    They shouldn't have killed the FBI guy's daughter. Bello OK, won't miss. We don't need too much info on the characters' private lives.

    1. G

      GoldBottleOpener

      Are you referring to Fornell's daughter Emily?? She was never killed off.In fact she has appeared twice so far this current Season.

      1

  15. C

    CyanScissors

    Great Love?? Jack and Gibbs?? You gotta be kidding me. Shannon and Gibbs, YES!! Jenny and Gibbs, well, yeah, maybe . . . I'll miss Sloane, but I really didn't see many sparks there. And I don't appreciate NCIS loosing all these strong women. And I want Ziva to come back with Tali (with or without Tony, but preferably without . . .) JMHO

    1

  16. O

    OrangeScissors

    Didn't see any particular "love" there, she was fine, but I like Gibbs, Ducky, Jimmy, Emily and McGee best. They're the heart of the show

    1

  17. P

    PurpleBlowdryer

    Get a life!

    2 4

  18. P

    PurpleBattery

    No love of any kind between Jack and Gibbs. Not even a flicker. Besides... anyone who's watched the show for a long time knows he only goes for redheads. Never liked Bello. Really glad she's going. It can't be too soon for me. Frankly, they can get rid of the other blonde too, her character is blah, and they really can't do anything that will fix that.

    5 9

    1. G

      GoldBottleOpener

      "Anyone who's watched the show for a long time" should know Gibbs has had many romantic interests through the years that were not redheads.For example--Lt Col. Mann (Blonde),Margaret Allison Hart (Brunette) and Dr. Samantha Ryan (Grey).

      3

      1. J

        Jena

        Gibbs was never romantic with Allison Hart. Her character was horrible, and even the show's writers didn't try to force that "couple" on viewers.

        1. G

          GoldBottleOpener

          LOL!! While it's pretty clear from your comment you did not care for the character of Margaret Allison Hart even the NCIS Showrunners openly talked in interviews with the media about how,in the 6 episodes in which she appeared, there was an underlying attraction even when they were in opposing positions. The wiki page for NCIS-Gibbs lists their relationship as such.

          1. J

            Jena

            She was rude and nasty. I doubt even Gibbs would put up with someone like her. Wiki page or not (which is probably fan-made, anyway) the relationship was a non-relationship.

  19. J

    Jena

    "Great love"? Yeah, no. There's been nothing "great" about Jack & Gibbs, much less any type of love. Guess I'll skip this episode, as I have so many others that insist on forcing unsuitable relationships, or otherwise dwell on the agents' personal lives.

    7 30

  20. C

    CyanBus

    Never liked her character or her acting on NCIS. Plus we won't see her exit because we're not watching any show that shows the characters wearing masks. We watch T.V. as an escape we don't need to be reminded of the draconian mandates we are forced to endure.

    10 62

    1. R

      RedWrench

      Patty. Many be u need to get laid

      8 2

      1. G

        GreenSeahorse

        They dont wear masks in the show. Shows how much you you Patty! And i second that," go get laid Patty" hahaha

        3

    2. C

      CyanPin

      How lame!!

      1 1

    3. C

      CyanCandy

      God you deserve to get covid

      1 2