NCIS Los Angeles Star Reveals if They’re Joining Hawai’i as LL Cool J Transitions
NCIS: Los Angeles officially ended with an emotional Season 14 finale on May 21, 2023. The show was the initial spin-off of NCIS and followed the Office of Special Projects (OSP) in Los Angeles which specialized in undercover assignments and apprehending dangerous criminals. Starring LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell, the show premiered in September 2009 and aired for 14 years. NCIS: LA was the fifth longest-running CBS primetime scripted series but was cancelled by CBS in 2023.
Ruah played NCIS special agent Kensi Blye on NCIS: Los Angeles from 2009 until the show’s last season in 2023. The actress spoke about the best part of playing Byle in an October 2022 interview with Smashing Interviews. “The best part of playing her is the fact that she’s a flawed human being like anyone is, and she grows from her mistakes. She’s intelligent. She’s fiercely independent, but after all these years, I think she’s grown to understand that it’s okay to emotionally depend on someone else,” she explained. “Her own traumas of losing her dad, not having a present mom, running away from home as a teenager, living on the street for a while, gave her a sense of no one’s going to give anything to you. You’ve got to go for it yourself and depend on yourself.”
She also called her castmates – who she has worked alongside for 14 years – her family. “I love the team we have. I love the cast. I love the crew. We’re a family at this point. You break bread with your cast and crew. Crew members were at my wedding,” she said of her costars, which include LL Cool J, O’Donnell, Eric Christian Olsen, Marty Deeks, Nell Jones, Henrietta Lange and more. “They were there when I met my husband (Olsen’s brother/stunt double David Paul Olsen), and they were there when I was pregnant with my kids in season five and eight. They were sending me messages when I had the kids. We’re all very, very close.”
She also called her castmates – who she has worked alongside for 14 years – her family. “I love the team we have. I love the cast. I love the crew. We’re a family at this point. You break bread with your cast and crew. Crew members were at my wedding,” she said of her costars, which include LL Cool J, O’Donnell, Eric Christian Olsen, Marty Deeks, Nell Jones, Henrietta Lange and more. “They were there when I met my husband (Olsen’s brother/stunt double David Paul Olsen), and they were there when I was pregnant with my kids in season five and eight. They were sending me messages when I had the kids. We’re all very, very close.”
Kensi Blye going to NCIS: Hawai’i after Los Angeles’ cancellation? The answer is maybe! In July 2023, our sister site TVLine asked Ruah if she would ever reprise her role as Kensi. She responded: “If I get asked, I will certainly figure it out at the time,” adding, “If it makes sense, why not, right?”
