Gibbs' relationship with Ziva has been called that of a surrogate father figure by executive producer Gary Glasberg, a tendency that intensified after she severed contact with Eli David following her return from Somalia. Cote de Pablo explained, "got what I think you could call anger issues. She thinks she's been betrayed by her family, particularly her father. That's a big deal to her. Which would also explain her love and relationship with somebody like Leroy Jethro Gibbs." Ziva seems to be more willing to show her vulnerability to Gibbs than to most of the other characters, and Michael Weatherly suggested in 2012 that she might have become something of a "hellcat" without Gibbs' guidance. Additionally, Ziva and Gibbs share several characteristics: they both rarely show emotion, speak several languages, and are extremely skilled at what they do. Though she often finds it difficult to follow his orders due to the autonomy she had as a Mossad control officer, Ziva looks up to Gibbs as a leader and often restrains herself from resorting to her assassin background in situations where he would not approve. He often uses this background to their advantage, however, by choosing her to interrogate certain suspects.