The Last of Us season 2 is confirmed to feature Ellie’s ex-girlfriend Kat, which could mean the show will depict a key unseen Ellie scene from the video game. Ahead of its premiere on April 13, HBO has been revealing a lot of tantalizing details about The Last of Us season 2. A new trailer just dropped, teasing high-octane action sequences, a dramatic rift between Joel and Ellie, and grisly thrills on the road to revenge in Seattle, and the actors did a cautiously spoiler-free panel at SXSW.
On top of that, six new actors have been confirmed for The Last of Us season 2’s cast. Some of these new cast members are playing original characters who didn’t appear in the game, like Hettienne Park as Elise and Alanna Ubach as Hanrahan (one of whom could be the Seraphite prophet). But most of them are either playing characters who had a small role in the game, like Robert John Burke as homophobic bartender Seth, or characters who were only mentioned in the game, like Joe Pantoliano as Tommy’s former Firefly comrade Eugene.
Noah Lamanna Has Been Cast As Kat In The Last Of Us Season 2
Ellie's Ex-Girlfriend Is Only Mentioned In The Game
One of the most exciting new additions to The Last of Us season 2’s cast is Noah Lamanna in the role of Kat. Kat is Ellie’s ex-girlfriend — her first serious romantic partner — who designed her now-iconic tattoo. In the game, Ellie’s relationship with Kat happened during the four-year time jump. Apart from a brief mention in Ellie’s dialogue with Dina, Kat can only be read about in Ellie’s journal, and she appears in one of the “lost levels” included on the game’s PS5 remaster. Lamanna’s casting confirms that the TV show is giving Kat an expanded role.
This means that the TV show could be adapting one of Ellie’s most important unseen moments from the game. In Ellie’s journal, there’s a passage about her first kiss with Kat. Kat was the first girl Ellie kissed after getting infected, so she stayed up all night, paranoid that she’d passed on her infection. It’s moving enough to read Ellie’s description of that event, but it’ll be even more touching to see it on-screen. It’s a predicament unique to Ellie; one of the most romantic moments of her young life is undercut by her inexplicable medical condition.
Why Kat Is A Key Figure In Ellie's Life (Despite Never Appearing In The Game)
Kat Was Ellie's First Long-Term Girlfriend
Although Kat never appears on-screen in the game, she’s one of the most important people in Ellie’s life. Kat is the first person Ellie fell for after Riley’s untimely death, and she became Ellie’s first long-term girlfriend. It’s hinted that Ellie and Dina quietly fell in love with each other while Ellie was still with Kat and Dina was still with Jesse. Plus, Kat gave Ellie her tattoo, so she’s got a permanent reminder of their relationship on her arm. There’s a lot to explore with Kat’s character in The Last of Us season 2.
