Meet Ashley Spillers, the Actress Playing Nell's Sister on 'NCIS: Los Angeles'

Season 11 of NCIS: Los Angeles touched on the crises intelligence analyst Nell Jones (Renée Felice Smith) was facing in her personal and professional life. Caught between a rock and a hard place, she had to work out whether she wanted to continue seeing not-quite-boyfriend Eric. She was thinking about leaving NCIS, and she also had family-related troubles. 

So, what will Season 12 bring? Will her sister, Sydney, appear on the show to try and help her? And more importantly, who plays Sydney? 

Season 11 of NCIS: Los Angeles came to an abrupt close partly due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, leaving the viewers anxious about Nell's future with no choice but to wait out the Season 12 premiere in November 2020. As the episode titled "The Bear" revealed, Nell decided to quit in the end — but she was brought back in at Hetty's (Linda Hunt) request. 

Sydney first appeared on a Season 9 episode titled "This Is What We Do." As a Homeland Security Specialist, she was invited to collaborate with Nell on a case involving a group of terrorists.

Sydney also appeared on another Season 9 episode titled "Goodbye, Vietnam," in which she helped provide some much-needed intel to the team. The last time viewers saw her was on a Season 10 episode titled "Born To Run," where she helped Nell save a high school crush who got himself into majestic trouble. 

Season 12 sees Nell deputize for Hetty. At this point, it'd be hard to tell whether she would ever find herself in need of help from her sister. However, it'd be just as foolish to rule out the possibility of Sydney making another appearance on the action series.

Before joining the star-studded cast of NCIS: Los Angeles, Ashley appeared on TV series like Vice Principals, a comedy series created by Jody Hill and Danny McBride, and Distance, a show created by Alex Dobrenko. 

The Houston native had one of her first professional breakthroughs in a 2009 short film titled Adaline. She garnered a great deal of success with her portrayal of Elizabeth in Last Vegas, where she appeared alongside Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, and the likes. 

An avid dog lover, Ashley often takes it to Instagram to share heart-warming snaps of her pup, Willow. She also posts updates about her latest adventures in and around the house and meet-ups with friends. 

While it's uncertain whether Ashley would make a cameo on Season 12 of NCIS: Los Angeles, one thing is for sure. The forthcoming episodes will feature stars like Rent alum Tracie Thoms, Tessa Bartholomew, and The Rookie's Mark Jacobson. 

Catch new episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles every Sunday at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.