"The Last of Us Season 2 Cast Expands with Six New Additions Before April Premiere"

HBO’s *The Last of Us* Season 2 is adding six new actors to its already impressive ensemble ahead of its April premiere, further expanding the world of the acclaimed live-action adaptation.

As reported by Variety, the latest additions include Joe Pantoliano (Memento, The Matrix), Alanna Ubach (Euphoria, Bombshell), Ben Ahlers (The Gilded Age, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Hettienne Park (Don’t Look Up), Robert John Burke (RoboCop 3), and Noah Lamanna (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds). These actors will portray both familiar figures from the game and brand-new characters introduced in the series.

The expanded casting details hint at how the show will deepen the narrative originally explored in The Last of Us Part II. For example, Pantoliano steps into the role of Eugene—a character previously seen only briefly in the video game as Ellie and Dina’s laid-back friend. While he was a minor presence in the original story, Season 2 promises a more fleshed-out portrayal of his role in their lives.

This narrative expansion mirrors the approach taken with Bill’s storyline in Season 1, offering viewers deeper insight into characters who were only lightly touched upon in the source material. Neil Druckmann, one of the showrunners alongside Craig Mazin, shared his enthusiasm for exploring Eugene’s backstory:

“I get excited when I see these opportunities. I’m like, ‘Oh, I don’t know Eugene that well!’ The story we told \[in the game\] was somewhat superficial. The way this character comes in really gets to the heart of Joel and Ellie and their relationship.”

In addition to Pantoliano, Robert John Burke will portray Seth, the bigoted bar owner from the game, while Noah Lamanna plays Kat, a character known to have dated Ellie prior to the events of Part II. Meanwhile, Alanna Ubach, Ben Ahlers, and Hettienne Park are set to debut as Hanrahan, Burton, and Elise Park—new characters created specifically for the TV series.

This growing roster joins the returning main cast, including Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Isabela Merced as Dina, Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, and Gabriel Luna as Tommy. Given previous statements from the creative team, it’s clear that the full scope of Part II's story may span multiple seasons, suggesting even more developments ahead.

Mark your calendars: *The Last of Us* Season 2 arrives on HBO April 13. For those eager to learn more, HBO has teased that the series could unfold across up to four seasons. You can also read more about how Season 2 will incorporate some “pretty brutal” cut content directly from the original game, as revealed by Druckmann himself.