HBO's The Last of Us Season 2 is expanding its cast with six new actors ahead of its highly anticipated premiere on April 13. According to Variety, the new additions include Joe Pantoliano (known from Memento and The Matrix), Alanna Ubach (seen in Euphoria and Bombshell), Ben Ahlers (The Gilded Age, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Hettienne Park (Don't Look Up), Robert John Burke (RoboCop 3), and Noah Lamanna (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds).
These actors will bring to life characters from the original game The Last of Us Part II, as well as new faces introduced in the series. Joe Pantoliano will portray Eugene, a character who was a minor presence in the game but will receive a more detailed backstory in Season 2. Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have shared with Variety their excitement about expanding Eugene's role, likening it to the development of Bill's character in Season 1. Druckmann mentioned, “I get excited when I see these opportunities... The story we told [in the game] was somewhat superficial. The way this character comes in really gets to the heart of Joel and Ellie and their relationship.”
Robert John Burke is set to play Seth, a bar owner and bigot from The Last of Us Part II, while Noah Lamanna will portray Kat, Ellie's former girlfriend. Alanna Ubach, Ben Ahlers, and Hettienne Park will take on the roles of new characters Hanrahan, Burton, and Elise Park, respectively.
Joining these newcomers are returning and previously announced cast members such as Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Isabela Merced as Dina, Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, and Gabriel Luna as Tommy. The showrunners have indicated that the narrative of The Last of Us Part II will be spread across multiple seasons, promising more surprises as the series unfolds.
For fans eager for more, The Last of Us Season 2 is set to premiere on April 13. Further insights into the show's direction can be found in discussions about its potential four-season arc and Neil Druckmann's comments on including some "pretty brutal" cut content from the original game.
