Actress Kaitlyn Dever has openly discussed the challenges of portraying Abby in HBO's upcoming Season 2 of *The Last of Us*. She admitted to struggling with the urge to check online reactions to her role, given the intense and often toxic feedback surrounding the character. Abby, a central figure in the series, has been the target of significant fan backlash, which has extended to real-life harassment of Naughty Dog staff, including Neil Druckmann and actress Laura Bailey. The harassment has been severe, with threats and abuse directed at Bailey, her family, and even her young son.
HBO took precautions during filming, providing Dever with extra security due to the anticipated negative response. Isabel Merced, who plays Dina in Season 2, highlighted the absurdity of the situation, reminding fans that Abby is a fictional character. "There's so many strange people in this world because there are people that actually genuinely hate Abby, who is not a real person. Just a reminder: not a real person," Merced stated.
The Last of Us Season 2 Character Posters
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In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Dever shared her thoughts on the anticipation and scrutiny surrounding her portrayal of Abby. "Well, it's hard not to see those things on the internet," she said. "It's hard not to stop myself from looking at it every once in a while, especially going into this, for sure. And I want to do this character justice and make the fans proud by bringing her to life in this kind of way."
Dever emphasized her focus on collaborating with Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin to delve deep into Abby's character. "But my main focus was just the collaboration between Neil and Craig, and making sure I was really getting to the core of who she is and what drives her and her emotional state; her anger and her frustration and her grief and all of that. I wanted to make sure that that was what I was focusing most of my energy on."
The Last of Us Season 2 Cast: Who's New and Coming Back to the HBO Show?
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Last month, Druckmann revealed that the HBO adaptation of *The Last of Us Part 2* would not feature Abby as the muscular character seen in the game. He explained to Entertainment Weekly that Dever's portrayal did not require her to bulk up, as the show focuses less on the video game mechanics that necessitated Abby's distinct physicality. "We would've struggled to find someone as good as Kaitlyn to play this role," Druckmann said. "In the game, you have to play both [Ellie and Abby] and we need them to play differently. We needed Ellie to feel smaller and kind of maneuver around, and Abby was meant to play more like Joel in that she's almost like a brute in the way she can physically manhandle certain things."
Druckmann further noted that the adaptation prioritizes drama over constant action. "That doesn't play as big of a role in this version of the story because there's not as much violent action moment to moment. It's more about the drama. I'm not saying there's no action here. It's just, again, different priorities and how you approach it."
Craig Mazin added his perspective, suggesting an opportunity to explore a more vulnerable yet resilient Abby. "I personally think there is an amazing opportunity here to delve into someone who is perhaps physically more vulnerable than the Abby in the game, but whose spirit is stronger. And then the question is: 'Where does her formidable nature come from and how does it manifest?' That's something that will be explored now and later."
Mazin's mention of "now and later" hints at HBO's intention to extend the narrative of *The Last of Us Part 2* across multiple seasons. Unlike Season 1, which covered the entirety of the first game, Season 2 will end after seven episodes at a "natural breakpoint," paving the way for potential future seasons to explore the expansive story further.
