With big shows come a lot of hype and a lot of hate, and sadly the latter is almost always inevitable. For The Last of Us Season 2, there’s so much excitement surrounding it and the new additions to its cast. However, as history has shown, sometimes viewers have a hard time separating the actor from the character, especially when they’re playing a villain. This is specifically true for Kaitlyn Dever, who is set to play Abby. She has been “extra secured by security” while filming, according to her co-star Isabela Merced, who recalled what it’s been like working with her and just how great she is at handling the pressures of playing this infamous character.
While there is so much hype around Dever playing Abby, Josh Horowitz explained on the Happy Sad Confused podcast while interviewing Isabela Merced that he’s “worried about your buddy Kaitlyn.” Abby does some terrible things in The Last of Us: Part 2, and the actress will likely receive hate for those actions simply because she plays the character. In response, Merced explained that during filming her co-star had extra security on set because of this:
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. And so, Kaitlyn had to be extra secured by security when it came to the filming of this.
Both Dever and Merced are new additions to The Last of Us cast, so they likely are very aware of the attention they’ll receive once the show starts airing.
The Superman actress is set to play Dina, Ellie’s love interest in the series. Meanwhile, as I mentioned, the Last Mand Standing alum will play Abby, a complex and ultimately antagonistic character. As my colleague Nick Venable wrote when rumors about Abby’s casting came to light, “she is both warm and menacing, sympathetic and murderous.” So, as you can imagine, with a character like that, the actress behind her is bound to receive strong reactions.
We’ve seen this happen over and over again. Recently, Fabien Frankel received major hate simply because he plays the deeply disliked Criston Cole on House of the Dragon. Ultimately, he reportedly limited who could comment on his Instagram, via Discussing Film, because of this. This conversation seemed to imply that Dever might be subject to that kind of criticism, which is part of the reason why they had extra security for her on set.
With all that in mind, Merced also explained why the Booksmart actress is so good in this role, saying:
Kaitlyn is such a cool person who does not get phased by things. She really had her head in the right place, and also is going through a lot, right now, personally. It’s devastating to see, but also give her the damn Emmy, honestly. I’m so excited for people to see how incredibly well Bella and Kaitlyn did on this.
For some context, the Alien: Romulus actress mentioned that Dever is “going through a lot, right now, personally.” Her mother died in February, so she’s been grieving. However, as her co-star said, she’s also still working, and she’s incredible in The Last of Us.
Overall, it sounds like we’re not ready for her take as Abby, and I can’t wait to see it! Hopefully, people will be kind to her and her performance, because let’s all remember: actors are not the characters they play in real life. In fact, her villainous performance will simply be another feather in her cap of an already incredible career. Thankfully, no matter what happens, it sounds like The Last of Us crew has Dever’s back, they're supporting her and they're keeping her safe.
We can expect to see Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascal and more on our screens when Season 2 of The Last of Us premieres in 2025. In the meantime, you can go back and stream Season 1 with a Max subscription, and make sure to check out the 2024 TV schedule to see what’s currently airing on the small screen.
