Kaitlyn Dever on Abby Role: 'Hard to Avoid Internet Buzz'

Actress Kaitlyn Dever, who is set to portray Abby in HBO's highly anticipated Season 2 of *The Last of Us*, has opened up about the challenges of dealing with online reactions to her character. Abby, a pivotal figure in the story, has been at the center of much controversy and toxicity, leading to real-world harassment of Naughty Dog employees, including co-president Neil Druckmann and actress Laura Bailey. The harassment was so severe that it targeted Bailey's family, including her young son.

Given the intense fan reactions, HBO took precautionary measures by providing Dever with additional security during filming. Isabel Merced, who plays Dina in the series, highlighted the absurdity of the situation, stating, "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."

The Last of Us Season 2 Character Posters

3 Images

In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Dever discussed how she navigates the online anticipation and scrutiny surrounding her portrayal of Abby. "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, 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 commitment to the character, focusing on the collaborative process with Druckmann and showrunner Craig Mazin. "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?

11 Images

Last month, Druckmann revealed that the HBO adaptation of *The Last of Us Part 2* would not feature Abby as a muscular character as in the game. This creative decision stems from the show's different approach, which doesn't require Abby to emulate certain video game mechanics. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Druckmann and Mazin explained that Dever did not need to bulk up for the role because Abby's physicality is less critical in the TV series.

"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, "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."

The "now and later" comment hints at HBO's plans to extend *The Last of Us Part 2* beyond a single season. Unlike Season 1, which covered the entire first game, Season 2 will adapt only part of the sequel's story. Mazin has indicated that Season 2 will have a "natural breakpoint" after seven episodes, setting the stage for potential future seasons.