The Last of Us Part 2 has two main protagonists. Ellie embarks on a journey of vengeance, searching for Abby for something that happened at the beginning of the game, triggering a wave of hatred. The player experiences the story through the two characters, who form an antagonistic view. However, the version of Abby we will see in the series is different from the original Naughty Dog title. Kaitlyn Dever plays a less muscular Abby than in the video game, a conscious decision, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“We would’ve struggled to find someone as good as Kaitlyn to play this role,” said Druckmann, the video game’s director and one of the series' executives. “In the game, you have to play both characters [Ellie and Abby] and we need them to play differently. We needed Ellie to feel smaller and kind of maneuver around.” Druckmann added that Abby is stronger, which is reflected in the gameplay. “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. Kaitlyn has the spirit of the game in her.” According to Druckmann, The Last of Us team “performance over anything else,” so they’re looking to capture the soul of the character rather than finding an actress who is a carbon copy of her alter ego in the video game.
A character to connect with
“When you try to pick a hero, it’s tough because we’re human beings, we’re not heroes. For every heroic act, there’s someone who suffers on the other side,” even though the audience can see him as the villain. Druckmann is adamant that viewers will connect with Dever when they look into his eyes. “It was important to find someone we could connect with,” as was the case with Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie.
Craig Mazin, showrunner of The Last of Us, emphasized that this is an “amazing opportunity” to explore a more vulnerable Abby than the one in the video game, although in this version “whose spirit is stronger.” 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.”
Full screen
The second season of The Last of Us will premiere next April on Max.
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