Kaitlyn Dever on Abby in The Last of Us Season 2: 'Hard to Ignore Internet Buzz'

Actress Kaitlyn Dever has opened up about stepping into the role of Abby in *The Last of Us* Season 2, admitting that she often finds herself checking online reactions to her portrayal. Despite efforts to stay focused on her performance, the intense public response surrounding the character makes it difficult to completely disconnect from audience sentiment.

Abby’s presence in the narrative has been a polarizing topic since the release of *The Last of Us Part II*. The backlash has unfortunately extended beyond constructive criticism, with some individuals directing harmful and inappropriate behavior toward those associated with the game and its adaptation. This included targeted harassment of Naughty Dog staff such as Neil Druckmann and voice actress Laura Bailey, with threats reaching deeply personal levels involving her family. Due to this climate, HBO took precautionary measures during filming, including providing additional security for Dever.

“There are so many strange people in this world because there are people who genuinely hate Abby—who is not a real person. Just a reminder: not a real person,” said Isabel Merced, who portrays Dina in Season 2.

Bringing Abby to Life on Screen

In a recent interview with *ScreenRant*, Dever was asked how she handles the anticipation and scrutiny around Abby's introduction in the series. She responded thoughtfully:

“Well, it’s hard not to see those things on the internet. 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, her frustration, her grief, and all of that. I wanted to make sure that that was what I was focusing most of my energy on.”

Reimagining Abby for the HBO Series

Neil Druckmann, co-creator of *The Last of Us*, recently explained to *Entertainment Weekly* that the TV adaptation does not emphasize Abby’s physical strength to the same degree as in the video game. He clarified that the storytelling priorities in Season 2 differ from gameplay mechanics, allowing more room for emotional depth over brute force.

“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. 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.”

Craig Mazin added further insight into the reimagined portrayal, noting that Dever’s Abby could explore new dimensions of vulnerability and inner strength:

“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.”

Looking Ahead: The Future of *The Last of Us* on HBO

The phrase “now and later” likely points to HBO’s long-term vision for the series. Unlike Season 1, which encompassed the entirety of the first game, Season 2 is structured with a “natural breakpoint” after seven episodes, suggesting potential multi-season coverage of *Part II*’s complex narrative. While Season 3 remains unconfirmed, the groundwork has clearly been laid for continued exploration of these characters and their journeys.