Actress Kaitlyn Dever, set to play Abby in HBO's highly anticipated The Last of Us Season 2, has openly discussed the challenges of ignoring online reactions to her character. Abby, a pivotal figure in the series, has been a lightning rod for controversy due to her actions in the original game, sparking significant backlash and even harassment towards Naughty Dog employees, including co-president Neil Druckmann and actress Laura Bailey. The latter faced severe threats and abuse that extended to her family and young child.
Aware of the potential for a toxic fan reaction, HBO took precautionary measures by providing Dever with additional security during the filming of Season 2. Isabel Merced, who portrays Dina in the series, 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 admitted the difficulty in avoiding online discussions about Abby's portrayal. "Well, it's hard not to see those things on the internet," she confessed. Her primary focus, however, remains on delivering a nuanced performance that does justice to the character and resonates with fans. "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. But my main focus was just the collaboration between Neil and Craig [Mazin], 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, Neil Druckmann revealed that the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us Part 2 would present Abby differently, not requiring her to be as muscular as in the game. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Druckmann and showrunner Craig Mazin explained that Dever did not need to bulk up for the role because the narrative focus shifted from game mechanics to character drama. "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. 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."
Mazin added insights into Abby's character development, suggesting a focus on her emotional strength over physical prowess. "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."
This comment hints at HBO's plans to extend the narrative of The Last of Us Part 2 beyond a single season. While Season 3 is not yet confirmed, Mazin noted that Season 2 has been structured to end after seven episodes, providing a "natural breakpoint" to potentially continue the story in future seasons.
