Beyond the Spotlight

What happened to Ashley Scott? Why the Birds of Prey star became less visible

What happened to Ashley Scott? See how the Birds of Prey and Jericho star kept acting and what she is working on now.

Many viewers remember Scott as Helena Kyle, also known as Huntress, in the 2002 superhero series Birds of Prey. Others know her from Dark Angel, Walking Tall, Into the Blue or the CBS drama Jericho.

After those high-profile roles, Scott gradually moved away from major network television. However, she continued acting in TV thrillers, films and video games. She even returned as Huntress nearly two decades after first playing the character.

Her recent work suggests another chapter may now be taking shape.

Ashley Scott: Then & Now

The Fame

Scott became widely known through Dark Angel, Birds of Prey, Walking Tall and Jericho.

What Changed

After Jericho, her work shifted from major network series and studio films toward television thrillers and smaller productions.

The Unexpected Chapter

She played Maria in The Last of Us games and returned as Huntress for the 2019 “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover.

Where She Is Now

Scott appeared in the 2024 short There Will Be Hurt and has been reported as part of Naughty Dog’s developing game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

How Ashley Scott became famous

Scott worked as a model before moving into acting. Her first screen credit came in Steven Spielberg’s 2001 film A.I. Artificial Intelligence, where she played Gigolo Jane.

She soon joined the second season of Dark Angel as Asha Barlow. The role placed her alongside Jessica Alba during one of the show’s best-known periods.

Scott’s biggest early opportunity arrived in 2002. She was cast as Helena Kyle in The WB’s Birds of Prey, a DC Comics series set in New Gotham after Batman’s departure.

Helena was the daughter of Batman and Catwoman in the show’s mythology. She fought crime as Huntress alongside Barbara Gordon and Dinah Redmond.

The series lasted only 13 episodes before its cancellation. TVLine reported that low ratings ended the show, but it developed a lasting following among DC fans.

Her career continued after Birds of Prey

The cancellation did not end Scott’s momentum. She appeared with Dwayne Johnson in Walking Tall in 2004 and reunited with Jessica Alba for Into the Blue in 2005.

She also took roles in The Kingdom, Strange Wilderness and 12 Rounds. These films kept her visible, although she often appeared as part of an ensemble rather than as the central star.

Scott returned to series television in 2006 as Emily Sullivan in Jericho. The CBS drama followed a Kansas community after nuclear attacks cut it off from the rest of the country.

She remained with the series across both seasons. For many viewers, Emily became just as recognizable as Huntress.

When Jericho ended in 2008, Scott no longer had a continuing network role of the same size. That change helps explain why some viewers believed she had left Hollywood.

She shifted toward television thrillers

Scott did not retire after Jericho. Instead, much of her work moved into made-for-TV thrillers and smaller productions that received less mainstream attention.

Her credits included Christmas Mail, Unstable, The Nightmare Nanny, Summoned, 16 and Missing, Broken Promise and Fatal Defense. In 2015, she also played Mary Newhouse during the first season of Lifetime’s UnREAL.

Her official filmography documents a steady series of television projects through the 2010s. These roles show that the change was mainly one of visibility.

Scott had gone from regular appearances in network dramas and studio action films to projects aimed at more specific television audiences. There is no solid evidence that one scandal or rejection caused that shift.

Ashley Scott returned as Huntress

Scott’s most nostalgic return came in 2019, when she reprised Helena Kyle for the Arrowverse crossover “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”

The appearance connected the short-lived Birds of Prey universe to The CW’s larger collection of DC shows. It also brought Scott back to the role about 17 years after the original series premiered.

Former co-star Rachel Skarsten told TVLine that she and Scott had remained friends. Skarsten also recalled the strange feeling of seeing Scott dressed as Huntress again after so many years.

Scott appeared in the Netflix thriller Secret Obsession during the same year. These projects briefly returned her to productions with wider audiences.

Video games became another part of her career

One of Scott’s most significant later roles was not in a film or television series.

She performed Maria in Naughty Dog’s 2013 video game The Last of Us. Scott returned to the character in The Last of Us Part II in 2020 and is also credited in later versions of the original game.

That work connected her to one of the most successful modern video game franchises. It also allowed her to continue performing without the same public exposure that comes with a weekly television series.

Scott’s association with Naughty Dog now appears to be continuing. GameSpot reported that she is among the performers in the studio’s developing science-fiction game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.

Naughty Dog has confirmed that the PlayStation 5 game is in development, but it has not publicly detailed Scott’s character. The project also has no official release date.

Where is Ashley Scott now?

Scott remains an actress, although her public profile is quieter than it was during the 2000s.

In 2024, she appeared with Josh Hopkins, Graham Rogers and Rob Evors in the short film There Will Be Hurt. The film received recognition from the Best Shorts Competition.

Scott also shared publicly that working on the film renewed her creative energy and encouraged her to revisit older writing and ideas. That makes the project more than an isolated screen credit. It marked a visible return to the creative work she still values.

Her reported involvement in Intergalactic provides the clearest sign of what may come next. For now, the accurate answer is not that Ashley Scott vanished or abandoned acting.

Her career moved into less visible television movies, performance-capture work and smaller films. Now, more than two decades after Birds of Prey, she remains connected to both the role fans remember and projects that could introduce her to a new audience.

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Frequently asked questions

Why did Ashley Scott stop acting?

Ashley Scott did not stop acting. Her work became less prominent after Jericho, with more roles in television movies, video games and independent productions.

Did Ashley Scott return as Huntress?

Yes. Scott reprised Helena Kyle, also known as Huntress, during the 2019 Arrowverse crossover “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”

What is Ashley Scott doing now?

Scott appeared in the 2024 short film There Will Be Hurt. She has also been reported as part of the cast of Naughty Dog’s upcoming game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, although details of her role remain undisclosed.

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