THE LAST OF US Showrunner Praises Kaitlyn Dever’s “Physically Tremendous” Performance as Abby in Season 2

“We just haven’t f**ked up in casting.”That’s the energy The Last of Us co-showrunner Craig Mazin is bringing to Season 2, and he’s especially fired up about Kaitlyn Dever, who’s stepping into the role of Abby.At a recent press event (via GamesRadar+), Mazin didn’t hold back on his admiration for Dever’s commitment to the physically demanding role:“Kaitlyn would never say no. And it was amazing. When you see how physical – how physically tremendous – her performance is, it's kind of insane. She did things that I'm not sure you should have done. I don't know how you did them.”Dever, who was once in talks to play Ellie back when The Last of Us was heading toward a film adaptation, is now set to play Abby, a character fans of the game know will shake up Joel and Ellie’s world in a big way."We just haven't fucked up in casting," Mazin says. "Sooner or later, I think we would. But every single one of these guys, I can't wait for you to see what they do and how they interact with each other."While the original version of Abby in the game was known for her muscular build, the creative team is intentionally shifting the focus away from matching that 1:1 in live-action. As Neil Druckmann previously explained: "We need someone to really capture the essence of those characters.... We don't value as much, 'Do they look exactly like the character with their eyebrows or their nose or their body?' Whatever it is. It's not nowhere on the priority list, but it's below a bunch of other things that we consider."The creative team has put together a powerhouse cast and and creative team for this series that they are clearly confident in every choice they’ve made, and like Season 1, I’m sure The Last of Us Season 2 is going to deliver storytelling excellence.

Mar 28, 2025 - 18:34

THE LAST OF US Showrunner Praises Kaitlyn Dever’s “Physically Tremendous” Performance as Abby in Season 2

“We just haven’t f**ked up in casting.”

That’s the energy The Last of Us co-showrunner Craig Mazin is bringing to Season 2, and he’s especially fired up about Kaitlyn Dever, who’s stepping into the role of Abby.

At a recent press event (via GamesRadar+), Mazin didn’t hold back on his admiration for Dever’s commitment to the physically demanding role:

“Kaitlyn would never say no. And it was amazing. When you see how physical – how physically tremendous – her performance is, it's kind of insane. She did things that I'm not sure you should have done. I don't know how you did them.”

Dever, who was once in talks to play Ellie back when The Last of Us was heading toward a film adaptation, is now set to play Abby, a character fans of the game know will shake up Joel and Ellie’s world in a big way.

"We just haven't fucked up in casting," Mazin says. "Sooner or later, I think we would. But every single one of these guys, I can't wait for you to see what they do and how they interact with each other."

While the original version of Abby in the game was known for her muscular build, the creative team is intentionally shifting the focus away from matching that 1:1 in live-action. As Neil Druckmann previously explained:

"We need someone to really capture the essence of those characters.... We don't value as much, 'Do they look exactly like the character with their eyebrows or their nose or their body?' Whatever it is. It's not nowhere on the priority list, but it's below a bunch of other things that we consider."

The creative team has put together a powerhouse cast and and creative team for this series that they are clearly confident in every choice they’ve made, and like Season 1, I’m sure The Last of Us Season 2 is going to deliver storytelling excellence.