The Last Of Us Season 2 Star Kaitlyn Dever Addresses Playing The Most Divisive Character: "It's Hard Not To See Those Things On The Internet"

The Last of Us season 2 is likely to be controversial, and its new star is preparing for the chaos. While season 1 focused largely on Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal), The Last of Us season 2 will introduce Kaitlyn Dever's Abby. The new episodes will be an adaptation of The Last of Us Part II, which was a critically renowned but deeply divisive video game. The sophomore season will return on April 13, and it is expected to be as controversial as the game was.

In an interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley at SXSW, Dever opened up about her response to the upcoming backlash. Despite knowing about the controversies surrounding her character, Dever is more interested in maintaining the right mindset. She is focused on collaborating with her colleagues, rather than on the viewers preparing to lash out at her character. Check out her quote below:

ScreenRant: Do you pay attention at all to how people anticipate a character portrayal like Abby's, or do you just go in and do your own thing?

Kaitlyn Dever: Well, it's hard not to see those things on the internet. 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.

But my main focus was just the collaboration between Neil and Craig, 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.

What Dever's Awareness Means For The Last Of Us Season 2

Abby Will Not Be Exactly The Same

Kaitlyn Dever's Abby is a deeply divisive character and has been since she was first introduced. She was largely introduced in the game The Last of Us Part II, which was released on June 19, 2020. After pitting herself against Joel, she quickly earns the ire of many players. She serves as Ellie's primary antagonist and spends much of the game unaware that Ellie is secretly tracking her every move. As her Seattle-based quarantine zone falls apart, Abby's life will be further complicated by the fact that many viewers will outright hate her.

There is, of course, the potential that Abby's story will be changed. In an interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley, showrunner Craig Mazin promised that the story would have a few key revisions. After being questioned about how much audiences already know the story, Mazin emphasized that "they think they do". One major change that already exists is that Dever is not nearly as muscular as the game's depiction of Abby was. Abby's frame was controversial, so that change could be an indicator that the show is looking to change the audience's expectations and limit the negative responses.

Our Take On Abby's Controversies

It Is Better If Dever Is Prepared

Even with the changes, it is likely that much of The Last of Us season 2's backlash will strike Dever directly. It is unfair, but it is the harsh reality of life as a public figure. Her original actor, Laura Bailey, reportedly received death threats after the game was released. Dever being prepared for that possibility is certainly good news. No one deserves attacks for simply accepting a role, but it is the reality of life in the age of modern entertainment. The industry can work to contain that backlash, but Dever needs to prepare herself in the meantime.