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

Actress Kaitlyn Dever, set to portray Abby in HBO's eagerly anticipated second season of *The Last of Us*, has opened up about the challenges of tuning out the internet's intense reactions. The role of Abby has been surrounded by significant controversy, with some fans expressing their discontent through toxic behavior, including harassing Naughty Dog staff like Neil Druckmann and actress Laura Bailey, who faced threats and abuse directed at her and her family.

The level of toxicity was so concerning that HBO took extra measures to ensure Dever's safety during filming. "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," remarked Isabel Merced, who plays Dina in the upcoming season.

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In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Dever shared her thoughts on the anticipation 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 understanding Abby's emotional depth, focusing on her anger, frustration, and grief. "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, Neil Druckmann revealed that the HBO adaptation of *The Last of Us Part 2* would not portray Abby as the muscular character seen in the game, as her role in the series does not require the same physicality. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Druckmann and co-showrunner Craig Mazin explained that Dever did not need to bulk up for the role because Abby's physical distinction from Ellie was less crucial in the show's narrative.

"We would've struggled to find someone as good as Kaitlyn to play this role," Druckmann stated. "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 mention of "now and later" likely alludes to HBO's intention to extend the story of *The Last of Us Part 2* beyond a single season. While Season 3 has not been officially confirmed, Mazin has indicated that Season 2 will conclude with a "natural breakpoint" after seven episodes, setting the stage for further exploration of the narrative.