When casting for an already-established role, many fans try to take matters into their own hands by campaigning for their favorites to star, mostly through the power of social media. When it was announced that the popular video game The Last Of Us would be getting a TV adaptation, fans of the video game series were giving their two cents with regard to casting. But sometimes, fans take it too far and forget that these are actual people, not characters, who are up for these roles.
For season two of the hit series, Booksmart‘s Kaitlyn Dever was cast as Abby, the controversial villain opposite Joel and Ellie. Obviously, Abby is an antagonist, but the fans of the series were reportedly taking her role too seriously. Isabela Merced, who appears in season two as Dina, Ellie’s love interest (who was also met with backlash of her own) said that the frenzy surrounding the casting led to increased security on set for Dever.
While appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast ahead of her film Alien: Romulus, Merced said that Dever “had to be extra secured by security when it came to the filming of [season 2]” due to the negativity from fans. Merced said that there are “so many strange people” who “genuinely hate Abby,” despite her being a fictional character from a video game. The actress added, “Just a reminder, [she’s] not a real person,” Merced said.
In the finale of the first season, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) end up with the Fireflies, who wanted to sacrifice Ellie to find a cure for the Cordyceps fungus that already wiped out most of the world. Joel ended up killing many of the Fireflies, including Abby’s dad. In season two, which will follow a five-year time jump, Abby seeks justice for her father’s death.
Abby might not be a real person, but Dever is. Merced said that Dever “does not get phased by things,” but it’s only going to make her a better actor. “It’s devastating to see,” Merced added. “But also – give her the damn Emmy, honestly. I’m so excited for people to see how incredibly well Bella and Kaitlyn did on this. I’m so excited.”
The Last Of Us season two will hit HBO in 2025.