At this point in her lauded career, it would be almost impossible to identify Maria Bello with one single film or television role. But fans of CBS’ military procedural “NCIS” will forever recognize the actor for her seasons-long portrayal of Jaqueline “Jack” Sloane. Bello made her first appearance on the show in Season 15 and would remain an integral part of the NCIS team until her Season 18 exit.
As for why Bello left “NCIS,” it seems she’d initially signed on for only three seasons of the show. So when her contract ended, she simply opted to not renew it and move on to other projects. Given the touching Instagram message she posted after her “NCIS” swan song, there was clearly no bad blood between her and anyone involved with the production.
Though she’s been choosy with her on-screen work since leaving “NCIS,” Bello has hardly given up acting. In fact, she recently turned up in one of Netflix’s biggest 2023 hits, the A24-backed revenge dramedy “Beef.” That ten-episode miniseries pits Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as adversaries out to ruin each other’s lives after a volatile chance encounter. For Yeun’s Danny Cho, that includes trying to sabotage a potentially lucrative deal Wong’s Amy Lau is setting up with a wealthy investor named Jordan. That role is, of course, played with a caustic, entitled swagger by Bello. And if you’ve seen the actor’s multi-episode run as Jordan in “Beef,” you know it climaxes with a bloody, legitimately shocking bang.
Bello is also hard at work behind the camera these days
If you’ve yet to catch Maria Bello in “Beef,” you should, as it ranks among the best-reviewed series on Netflix and fronts arguably one of the best performances of the actor’s lauded career. And at least for the time being, it’s the only acting role Bello has claimed since saying her fond farewell to Jack Sloane.
However, she’s still been hard at work in Hollywood. In fact, since 2010 Bello has regularly been backing indie-minded projects as a producer, working on films like 2017’s “In Search of Fellini,” and 2018’s “Giant Little Ones.” In 2022, Bello’s reputation as a producer got a major bump when she backed the action-packed historical epic “The Woman King.” Bello herself reportedly first conceived of the film — which tells of an elite, all-woman group of warriors defending a West African kingdom between the 17th and 19th centuries — after a visit to the lands said kingdom once occupied. She developed the story alongside screenwriter Dana Stevens, who penned the screenplay.
Directed by “The Old Guard” helmer Gina Prince-Bythewood, and featuring a fearsome performance from the great Viola Davis, “The Woman King” went on to earn raves from critics and audiences alike. It also netted almost $100 million at the worldwide box office and earned BAFTA nominations for both Davis and Prince-Bythewood. Though Bello has yet to line up her next behind-the-camera gig, fans are sure to be anxious to see how she follows the overwhelming success of “The Woman King.”
