Wilmer Valderrama, star of NCIS, has opened up about being a father, revealing that he “literally” cannot leave his house until his daughter says “I love you.”

The actor, who stars in the hit procedural drama, described fatherhood as “incredible,” adding that his toddler daughter is “so much more active” and “learning to run.”

“She now mumbles, ‘I love you,’” Wilmer, 40, told People magazine. “I literally can’t leave the house to go to work until I hear it.”

“I think every parent can relate to her learning to run and then us realizing she’s always wearing the wrong shoes for that kind of speed,” he explained, adding, “and then knowing that it’s not going to end well at some point and that she’s going to have to learn some hard lessons of balance.”

“That’s been a running theme for the past month.” Wilmer and Amanda Pacheco, 30, welcomed their first child in February 2021.

Wilmer and Amanda welcomed their first child (daughter) in 2021.

Wilmer plays Special Agent Nick Torres in the series, which returned last week with a crossover with NCIS: Hawaii.

In the premiere, the NCIS team enlisted the assistance of their counterparts in Hawaii after Special Agent Alden Parker (Gary Cole) was falsely accused of murd3ring his former FBI partner.

He went on the run with his ex-wife Vivian (guest star Teri Polo) to clear his name, but we saw in the final moments of the previous season that Vivian texted an unknown number to say she “had him.”

Vanessa’s Special Agent Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) and Ernie Malick (Jason Antoon) made an appearance in the original series while in town for a meeting with Director Vance (Rocky Carroll), which set up the crossover that culminated with NCIS: Hawaii’s season opener.