NCIS: Origins’ Mariel Molino Spent The Summer Keeping Lala’s Fate A Secret. What That Was Like

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The first season of NCIS: Origins ended on a cliffhanger: a car crash left Cecilia “Lala” Dominguez’s fate uncertain. Fans spent the summer wondering if she would survive. The answer finally came with the premiere of season two last week, revealing that Lala was alive. While viewers were kept in the dark, actress Mariel Molino knew her character would make it, and she recently shared with TopMob what it was like keeping such a big secret.

With spoilers spreading so quickly these days, I was curious how Molino managed to keep a key plot point from NCIS: Origins a secret. During our interview, she shared how she did it, plus gave us an update on what’s coming up for her characters, Gibbs and Lala, and even explained why she missed Tom Cruise’s visit to the set.

It’s really frustrating! I dislike having to keep things quiet, honestly. It’s ironic because I still feel like no one really notices what I’m up to. I once posted a picture of my dog while I was at the Paramount studio, even though we weren’t filming anything related to NCIS – I could have been working on something completely different. But then, a bunch of articles started questioning if I was still involved with the show, just because I was at the studio! I really don’t like keeping secrets, it just causes this kind of speculation.

More on NCIS: Origins

This fall, NCIS and its prequel, NCIS: Origins, will be having a crossover event, and I’m really intrigued by the idea of a story that spans several decades.

The second season of NCIS: Origins will feature a younger version of Ducky, and I’m really excited about how it will pay tribute to the late David McCallum, the actor who originally played the beloved character.

Molino is talking about a photo she posted on Instagram in late July. While the picture didn’t definitively prove she was working on NCIS: Origins, it sparked a lot of discussion about what might happen to her character, Lala—and even whether she could still be alive. I started to think Molino might have filmed a brief appearance for the Season 2 premiere, perhaps in a flashback or as a ghostly vision, similar to what often happens on NCIS, and then wouldn’t return to the show.

Thankfully, Lala is still alive, which eases Mariel Molino’s burden of keeping that information secret. Although she’ll always need to avoid spoilers as long as she’s on NCIS: Origins, it’s likely she won’t have to be this careful again, especially after what happened this summer. However, working for NIS and stopping criminals is always risky, and since Lala doesn’t appear in the original NCIS, it’s still possible something could happen to her in the prequel.

Right now, the story has returned to following Lala, Gibbs, Franks, and Randy, which most NCIS: Origins fans are thrilled about. New episodes air on CBS Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Eastern, and are available to stream the next day on Paramount+.

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2025-10-27 01:38