The Last of Us Season 2's Abby, Kaitlyn Dever, Says It's 'Hard Not to See Those Things on the Internet'

Actress Kaitlyn Dever, cast as Abby in The Last of Us Season 2, acknowledges the difficulty 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 Laura Bailey, extending to threats and abuse against Bailey's family. HBO took these reactions seriously, providing Dever with additional security during filming. Isabel Merced, who plays Dina, commented on the disturbing reality of fans directing hate towards a fictional character, emphasizing that Abby is not a real person.

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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 by bringing her to life. But my main focus was the collaboration with Neil and Craig [Mazin], ensuring I understood Abby's core motivations, her anger, frustration, grief—all of it.”

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Neil Druckmann revealed that the HBO adaptation will portray Abby differently than in the game, specifically avoiding the game's emphasis on her physicality. Druckmann and Craig Mazin explained to Entertainment Weekly that Dever didn't need extensive physical training because Abby's role in the show prioritizes drama over action-oriented gameplay mechanics. 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. 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." Mazin added, "I think there's an amazing opportunity to delve into someone who is perhaps physically more vulnerable, but whose spirit is stronger. Where does her formidable nature come from and how does it manifest? That's something that will be explored now and later." The "now and later" comment hints at plans to adapt The Last of Us Part 2 beyond a single season. Despite Season 3 not yet being confirmed, Mazin indicated that Season 2, comprising seven episodes, features a "natural breakpoint."