Kaitlyn Dever’s portrayal of Abby in Season 2 of HBO’s The Last of Us sparked both critical acclaim and intense fan scrutiny, culminating in an Emmy nomination (one of the show’s overall 16). Dever took on the role during one of the most difficult periods in her life, navigating profound personal grief while stepping into one of gaming’s most controversial characters.
In a recent interview with Deadline, Dever revealed that her introduction to Abby began with her father’s enthusiasm for the character, which helped shape her performance, later fueled by loss and resilience.
“It was actually my dad’s thoughts and opinions on Abby that were way stronger than mine,” she said. Long before being approached about the role, he urged her to watch the end of the second game: “You need to sit down, and you just need to watch this.”
At the time, she brushed it off, but not long after, she received the call to meet with showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin. After playing through Abby’s early gameplay, Dever became captivated by her strength and complexity.
“Just from my initial understanding, she was a very, very, very, very strong woman. And that in and of itself was intriguing to me. After meeting with them and discussing Abby further, I gained more insight into what they want for the role in the show,” she said. “This made me even more excited to take on this kind of role. Because while I was excited to use the inspiration that Laura Bailey and her performance in the show, I was also excited about the freedom that Craig and Neil were giving me to bring Abby to life in my own way. I never felt pigeonholed in any sort of way, which was exciting.”
While some fans were critical of her casting, Dever said that fear of backlash never factored into her decision to take the role. “I would’ve never not done it because of the fear of reading the internet,” she continued, but admitted she at least looked at reviews at the beginning of the season. “I’m human, so I can’t help but look at those things.” Yet the support she received from the crew gave her a sense of safety. “In Season 2, I felt so taken care of,” she shared. That, along with the audience’s positive response to the season, has left her excited for what’s ahead in Season 3: “It’s pure excitement to be part of such a cool show.”
Dever’s performance was further fueled by personal tragedy. She began filming shortly after the loss of her mother, channeling that grief directly into Abby’s emotional arc. “I still felt like I was doing The Last of Us for her,” she said. The emotional parallels between Abby’s journey and her own deepened her portrayal and connection to the role.
“She thinks that [what she did to Joel] will make her feel better…and she doesn’t. She’s just as broken as everybody else on this show…And gosh, it’s so loaded and so heavy, but I think she also internalizes all of these emotions, and I think that that is what makes her such a strong person. It’s just how much she’s had to go through, how much she’s seen in her life, and how she perseveres and how she pushes through and keeps going. But again, that’s not that different from a lot of the other characters in this story.”
The Last of Us earned 16 total Emmy nominations ahead of the September 14 award ceremony, including nods for Bella Ramsey, Geoffrey Wright, Catherine O’Hara, and even Pedro Pascal in a Lead category–despite only appearing in three episodes. Although Season 3 is greenlit, Dever’s co-star Ramsey confirmed that they have not read any scripts nor confirmed when shooting will begin.
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