'Last of Us' family helped calm the nerves of S2 newbie Kaitlyn Dever

UPI

25-05-2025

1 of 2 | Kaitlyn Dever and Pedro Pascal star in "The Last of Us" Season 2, wrapping up Sunday. Photo courtesy of HBO
NEW YORK, May 25 (UPI) -- Justified, Last Man Standing, Unbelievable and Dopesick alum Kaitlyn Dever says she has had a long personal history with The Last of Us and felt overwhelmed with emotion when she was hired to star in HBO's adaptation of the blockbuster video game.
"it was like all of the feelings. I was nervous. I was anxious, but also very excited. I've been a huge fan of this game and the show for a very long time," Dever, 28, said in a recent virtual press conference.
Season 2 of the post-apocalyptic drama wraps up Sunday.
Created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, the show follows Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) as they trek from Wyoming to Washington state to exact revenge against Abby (Dever) and the group of soldiers who executed their surrogate father Joel (Pedro Pascal) in front of them after Joel saved Abby's life.
Just when I thought I couldn't miss them more. #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/yTk4ZaCJJ1— HBO (@HBO) May 23, 2025
The heartbreaking murder came after Joel killed numerous people, including Abby's father, a doctor, at a hospital in an effort to protect Ellie, one of the few people in the world immune to the virus that killed billions and caused the breakdown of civilized society, in Season 1.
When Dever was younger, she had been considered for the role of Ellie in a movie version of the game, which never got off the ground.
"The world of The Last of Us is so large. You can definitely feel that in wardrobe fittings when you're first in prep and then, finally, getting on set," Dever said.
"I felt less nervous once I got onto set just because of this wonderful group of people and being held by Craig and Neil. It really felt like I was being cared for and taken care of in a way that I haven't ever really experienced ever before. So, it was really a thrill as a person and an actor."
Dever said she played the game with her real-life father Tim and felt like getting the Job on the show was something of a full-circle moment.
"I loved what [Mazin and Druckmann] did in the first season. It was just pure magic. It was really so wonderful. I was a fan of the game. It was like a real bonding moment for me and my dad playing it together," she recalled.
"When it did come back around, it felt surreal because it really kind of felt like, 'Oh, well, things that are meant to be in your life will happen if they're supposed to.' And it just felt right. Abby felt right. It was very cool."
Mazin said Dever was the perfect fit for the character.
"Kaitlyn did things that I'm not sure you even should have done. I don't know how you did them," he told her.
"We knew her, obviously, as an actor and what she could do, but when you then meet the person and you're like: 'Well, what can you actually do? What are you comfortable with?'" Mazin continued. "And Kaitlyn just would never say, 'No.' And it was amazing. And when you see how physically tremendous her performance is, it's kind of insane."
Mazin said he thinks the show's casting is the best contribution he and Druckmann have made to expand the story in a meaningful way for television.
"I can't wait for you to see what they do and how they interact with each other. It's amazing," he said, referring to the other members of the ensemble present, including Ramsey, Pascal, Merced, Gabriel Luna, who plays Joel's brother Tommy, and Young Mazino, who plays Dina's boyfriend Jesse.
The series has already been renewed for Season 3.
Pedro Pascal's career: hit series, films, red carpets
Pedro Pascal arrives on the red carpet at the premiere of "Game of Thrones" Season 4 in New York City on March 18, 2014. Pascal portrayed Oberyn Martell on the series. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo