Kaitlyn Dever Reveals the Challenges in Joining ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2
Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 1, and The Last of Us Part II.
The first episode of The Last of Us Season 2 is now streaming, and it features the introduction of new characters from the Game of the Year-winning installment from Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us Part II. One of the new characters to join the ensemble is Kaitlyn Dever, who portrays Abby, leader on the ground of the WLF (Washington Liberation Front). She’s flanked by other new arrivals, such as Jeffrey Wright as Isaac, Spencer Lord as Owen, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Ariela Barer as Mel, and Danny Ramirez as Manny. Collider’s Christina Radish recently caught up with Dever ahead of The Last of Us Season 2 premiere, and she spoke about the challenges and rewards of being a later addition to an already-set cast:
“I certainly was a little nervous, leading up to it, but all of that went away immediately. And I shot some pretty intense stuff on my first day, I have to say. I was a little nervous, but because of the group of people, I just felt so welcomed. And it’s hard. It’s hard to also come into something that is so established already. Everybody knows each other, and you feel like the new kid, and you are the new kid. Sometimes that doesn’t feel so good, but here, I just felt like I was immediately everyone’s buddy and they were my buddies. It was great.”
The Last of Us Part I is a largely contained story focusing on Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal), but Part II expands the narrative for Ellie while also introducing all the aforementioned new characters. Part I follows Joel and Ellie on a journey to deliver Ellie to the Fireflies, who hope to use her immune trait to find a cure for the infection. However, upon arriving at the end of their journey, Joel realizes that the procedure needed to extract a potential cure would kill Ellie, and he goes on a murderous rampage at the hospital and returns to Jackson, Wyoming, without telling Ellie how they escaped. Part II sees Ellie leave Jackson after Abby murders Joel to seek vengeance. On the road to Seattle, Ellie and Dina (Isabela Merced) face all manner of challenges in the form of wolves, scars, and Infected.
Will ‘The Last of Us’ TV Show Go Beyond the Games?
The Last of Us writer Craig Mazin has confirmed that the show will not go beyond the events of the game. The Last of Us has already been renewed for Season 3, and we know that Season 2 adapts only the first half of The Last of Us Season 2, which sees the player take control of Ellie. The Last of Us Season 3 will likely tell Abby’s story, but it’s unknown at this time if it will do so in its entirety or if there will be a fourth season to wrap things up. Succession director Mark Mylod will helm at least one episode of The Last of Us Season 2.
The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 1, is now streaming. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the series, and watch The Last of Us on Max.
- Release Date
-
January 15, 2023
- Network
-
HBO
- Showrunner
-
Craig Mazin
- Directors
-
Craig Mazin, Peter Hoar, Jeremy Webb, Ali Abbasi, Mark Mylod, Stephen Williams, Jasmila Žbanić, Liza Johnson, Nina Lopez-Corrado
- Writers
-
Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin
