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

Actress Kaitlyn Dever, set to portray Abby in HBO's highly anticipated The Last of Us Season 2, has opened up about the challenges of dealing with the internet's reaction to her character. Abby, a pivotal figure in the series, has been a focal point of intense online discourse, with some fans expressing extreme sentiments towards the fictional character's actions. This backlash has even led to harassment directed at Naughty Dog employees, including co-president Neil Druckmann and actress Laura Bailey, who voiced Abby in the video game. The toxicity reached such heights that HBO took precautionary measures, providing Dever with extra security during filming to mitigate potential threats.

Isabel Merced, who plays Dina in Season 2, 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." This underscores the surreal nature of the backlash against a fictional character.

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In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Dever discussed her approach to the role amidst the anticipation and scrutiny. "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."

However, Dever emphasized her primary focus on the creative process, collaborating closely with Neil Druckmann and showrunner Craig Mazin to delve deep into Abby's emotional core. "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 insights into the adaptation process, noting that Abby's portrayal in the HBO series would differ from the video game. He explained to Entertainment Weekly that Dever's physicality did not need to mirror the game's mechanics, as the show's narrative focuses more on drama than on the game's action-oriented elements. "We would've struggled to find someone as good as Kaitlyn to play this role," Druckmann said. "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 that the series would prioritize storytelling over the game's mechanical distinctions. "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."

Craig Mazin added his perspective, suggesting that the adaptation offers a unique opportunity to explore Abby's character in a new light. "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 plans to extend the narrative of The Last of Us Part 2 beyond a single season. While Season 3 has not been officially greenlit, Mazin has indicated that Season 2 will conclude with a "natural breakpoint" after seven episodes, setting the stage for further exploration of the story.