Who is playing Tony and Ziva's daughter Tali on NCIS: Tony and Ziva?

There was a time when the NCIS spinoff focused on Tony and Ziva seemed like an abstract concept. The franchise had never attempted this type of storytelling before, and the titular characters have been MIA for quite some time.

Fortunately, the spinoff has really snapped into focus, and is currently being shot on location in Budapest. There have been tons of announcements with regards to the ensemble cast, but the crucial role of Tali is something that has a bit more riding on it than, say, a law enforcement agent tasked with hunting down the main couple.

Tali was played by four actresses on NCIS

Tali is, of course, the daughter of Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo). She's an established character in the NCIS franchise, having appeared many different times on the mothership show. The thing is, she's been played by a host of different actresses.

Tali has been played by two sets of siblings. Emilia and Layla Golfieri played the character in the season 13 episode "Family First." Eva and Vera Portugues, meanwhile, took over Tali duties for the season 17 episode "The North Pole."

The changes weren't that noticeable, given how young the character was in these episodes. Now that she's gotten older, however, a semblance of consistency is crucial. That's why it's so exciting to hear that NCIS: Tony and Ziva have cast actress Isla Gie to play the older version of Tali. Older being an operative word, of course. Both the character and Gie are 12 years old.

Family will be a major theme on NCIS: Tony and Ziva

Family is going to play a crucial role in this NCIS spinoff. Weatherly and de Pablo issued a joint statement when the show was announced, and they assured fans the personal dynamics of their characters would dictate where the story ultimately goes.

"We’re trying to address all of these questions, and the idea of trust, and how they move forward," they wrote. "They’re trying to make things work while also parenting and having a lot of challenges thrown at them."

We can't wait to see how Tony and Ziva juggle the different aspect of their lives when the show premieres.