Actress Kaitlyn Dever, set to portray Abby in HBO's *The Last of Us* Season 2, has openly discussed the challenges of tuning out the internet's reaction to her character. Abby, a pivotal figure in the series, has unfortunately been at the center of significant toxicity and harassment, particularly towards Naughty Dog employees like Neil Druckmann and actress Laura Bailey, who faced threats and abuse directed at her and her family, including her young son.
The intensity of the backlash prompted HBO to provide Dever with additional security during the filming of Season 2. 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."
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In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Dever admitted the difficulty in avoiding online commentary about her portrayal of Abby. "Well, it's hard not to see those things on the internet," she said. "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."
Despite the external pressures, Dever's primary focus remains on her collaboration with Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, emphasizing the importance of understanding Abby's emotional depth and motivations. "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 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."
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Last month, Druckmann shared that the HBO adaptation of *The Last of Us Part 2* would present Abby differently, noting that her muscular appearance in the game was designed to fit certain video game mechanics that won't be as crucial in the TV show. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Druckmann and Mazin explained that Dever's physicality as Abby would not need to match the game's version because the narrative in the series prioritizes drama over the mechanics of gameplay.
"We would've struggled to find someone as good as Kaitlyn to play this role," Druckmann remarked. "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."
He further elaborated on the adaptation's focus: "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 his perspective on Abby's character, suggesting a deeper exploration into her vulnerabilities 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."
The mention of "now and later" hints at HBO's plan to extend the narrative of *The Last of Us Part 2* across multiple seasons. While Season 3 has not been officially confirmed, Mazin has indicated that Season 2 is structured with a "natural breakpoint" after seven episodes, allowing for a potential continuation of the story in future seasons.
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