Kaitlyn Dever isn’t new to emotionally charged roles—but her latest might be her boldest yet. As she prepares to step into the shoes of Abby in the highly anticipated second season of The Last of Us, the actress opened up about her journey from fan of the video game to the pivotal player in its television adaptation. Sitting down for a roundtable chat attended by ETimes, Dever shared her thoughts on the emotional weight of the series, teased what’s to come in Season 2, and reflected on the opportunity to bring depth and nuance to one of the most controversial characters in the franchise.
Reflecting on her trajectory and how naturally she’s gravitated toward heavier material, Dever said with a laugh, “I feel like I was just thinking about that the other day—how I haven’t done a comedy in a while. It just sort of happened. I didn’t really seek it out that much.”
On what fans can expect from her portrayal of Abby, the actress remained cautious but hinted at a more emotionally complex and grounded version of the controversial character. “There’s again, not a lot I can say about what they can expect,” she admitted. “But I guess, because we are taking inspiration from the game and turning it into a show, it allows us to dig a lot deeper—in terms of emotion and character arc and what these people are thinking. I think of it more when you have the opportunity to make it into a show.”
Kaitlyn added, “For Abby, I think we’re just going deeper. I felt like we were really embedding ourselves into the bones of Abby, and giving her a little bit of a lead-up too, because in the game obviously when she appears, we don’t know who this woman is. She comes out of nowhere. In the show, we’re giving her a little bit more context and showing her side of the story a little bit more, which I think is really exciting and interesting.”
A longtime fan of The Last of Us game herself, Dever said the opportunity to be a part of the adaptation was a dream come true. “I always thought that it would be such an amazing thing to bring that game to life in that kind of way,” she shared. “When it came around as a TV show, I watched it immediately and just fell in love with it. To see the fan base grow since its release has been sort of amazing.”
She added that being part of such a culturally impactful series has been a deeply rewarding experience: “It’s really powerful to get to see this come to life as an actor, and being involved in it is really cool. I feel really grateful to be a part of this kind of show that is really making an impact on people. It’s a big moment in TV, I guess.”
Addressing the backlash the character Abby received following the game’s release—and the harsh criticism endured by voice actress Laura Bailey—Dever acknowledged the controversy while affirming her commitment to the role.
“I’m obviously aware of all of that,” she said. “And I think that it’s sometimes… you know, I hope that people are able to separate the person from the game or show, because we’re not these characters that we are playing. But I was obviously aware of it when I signed on to do this. In no way was any of it ever gonna stop me from playing Abby and taking on this role, because it was such a great opportunity for me as an actor. I loved all of the people on the show, and I am a big fan.”
Season 2 of the American post-apocalyptic drama The Last of Us premieres on HBO on April 13, 2025. The series begins back Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, along with new additions including Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse and Danny Ramirez as Manny.
