Actress Kaitlyn Dever, cast as Abby in The Last of Us Season 2, acknowledges the challenge of ignoring online reactions to her portrayal. The character of Abby has been the target of significant online toxicity, with harassment directed at Naughty Dog employees, including Neil Druckmann and actress Laura Bailey, extending to threats and abuse against their families. This negative response even prompted HBO to provide Dever with extra security during filming. As Isabel Merced (Dina) noted, the intense dislike directed at Abby, a fictional character, is unsettling.
The Last of Us Season 2 Character Posters
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In a ScreenRant interview, Dever discussed the anticipation surrounding her performance: “Well, it's hard not to see those things on the internet,” she admitted. “It's hard not to stop myself from looking at it every once in a while, especially going into this. And I want to do this character justice and make the fans proud. But my main focus was the collaboration with Neil and Craig [Mazin], and ensuring I understood Abby's core motivations, her anger, frustration, grief—everything driving her. That's where I concentrated my energy.”
The Last of Us Season 2 Cast: Who's New and Coming Back to the HBO Show?
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Neil Druckmann recently explained that the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us Part II will depict Abby differently than the game. He and Craig Mazin told Entertainment Weekly that Dever didn't need to undergo a significant physical transformation because Abby's role in the show doesn't require the same mechanical distinctions as in the game. Druckmann stated, "We would've struggled to find someone as good as Kaitlyn to play this role. In the game, you have to play both [Ellie and Abby], and we need them to play differently. Ellie needed to feel smaller, while Abby was a brute in the game, capable of physically overpowering opponents. That's less crucial here; the focus is more on the drama." Mazin added, "There's an opportunity to explore a physically more vulnerable Abby, but with a stronger spirit. We'll explore where her formidable nature comes from and how it manifests." This suggests a multi-season plan for Abby's arc, although Season 3 isn't yet confirmed. Mazin previously indicated that Part II has substantial material for adaptation, and Season 2, consisting of seven episodes, is structured with a "natural breakpoint."
