Actress Kaitlyn Dever has opened up about her role as Abby in The Last of Us Season 2, acknowledging the challenge of avoiding online reactions.
The character of Abby has drawn significant toxicity, with some individuals expressing their frustrations through harassment directed at Naughty Dog staff, including Neil Druckmann and actress Laura Bailey. This extended to threatening messages and abuse aimed at her, her family, and even her young child.
HBO anticipated potential backlash during the filming of Season 2, providing Dever with additional security as a precaution. "It's surprising how many people genuinely despise Abby, a fictional character. Let's remember she isn't real," noted Isabel Merced, who portrays Dina.
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In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Dever was asked whether she pays attention to the public's expectations for Abby's live-action adaptation.
“It’s difficult to avoid seeing those comments online,” she admitted.
“I sometimes find it hard to resist checking the reactions, especially with such a significant role. My goal is to honor the character and satisfy the fans by portraying her authentically.
My primary focus, however, was the creative partnership with Neil and Craig [Mazin], ensuring I captured her essence, motivations, and emotional depth—her anger, pain, sorrow, and everything that defines her. That’s where I directed most of my attention.”
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Last month, Druckmann clarified that the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us Part 2 will not depict Abby with the same muscular physique as in the game, as the TV series does not rely on the same gameplay mechanics.
Druckmann and co-showrunner Craig Mazin explained to Entertainment Weekly that Dever did not need to undergo intense physical training for the role, as the distinction between Abby and Ellie is less about physicality in this medium.
"Finding an actor as talented as Kaitlyn for this part would have been difficult," Druckmann stated. "In the game, you control both characters, and their gameplay styles are intentionally different. Ellie is more agile, while Abby is designed to handle combat more forcefully, similar to Joel.
"This dynamic is less crucial in the series, where the emphasis shifts from constant action to emotional storytelling. That’s not to say there’s no action—it’s just a matter of narrative focus."
Mazin added his perspective: "We have a unique opportunity to explore a version of Abby who may be physically less imposing than her video game counterpart but possesses a stronger inner resolve. The key question becomes: what is the source of her strength, and how does it show itself? This will be a central theme as the story unfolds."
The reference to unfolding narrative likely points to HBO’s strategy of expanding The Last of Us Part 2 across multiple seasons. While Season 1 covered the entire first game, Mazin has noted that Part 2 contains substantially more material. Although Season 3 has not been officially confirmed, the production team has designed Season 2 to conclude at a "natural stopping point" after seven episodes.
