Those unfamiliar with the video games were likely shocked by The Last of Us Season 2, which gave a strong indication that the alread confirmed third season will follow Kaitlyn Dever's Abby, whose actions appeared to set her up as the biggest antagonist on TV. While it's surely great to be a TV hero, Dever recently explained in an interview why she doesn't mind playing a character that viewers and gamers are narratively geared to hate at first.
As The Last of Us Seasons 1 and 2 are currently available to stream with a Max subscription, the actress linked up with Walton Goggins for a Vanity Fair interview. The duo, who first worked together on Justified, discussed playing characters and the feeling of embodying well-crafted characters that audience may not feel so kindly about. Dever talked about how that relates to Abby, whose most significant moment in Season 2 was the brutal murder of Pedro Pascal's Joel, saying:
When you first see and meet Abby, people will think that she’s a villain. That was very apparent when I walked onto set and even took this job. My introduction to this story is not great. People might not like me, and I have to put that in a box somewhere else and do my job, and really live in the character’s bones.
The actress noted that while public speaking is something that makes her anxious, she's perfectly fine doing so in character while filming scenes in which scripts call for it. Sure, she still has fear of what's required from some scenes like being up in tall places or being chased, but when it comes to the emotional performances involved with bringing Abby to life, she has to put aside any thoughts about how audiences may feel about it down the line.
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To be sure, Kaitlyn Dever has played many great characters across various the movies and TV shows she's starred in, but there's something special about Abby, whose story in Season 3 will likely bring provoke more empathy within even the angriest of viewers.
The Unbelievable actress talked about the hard work she's already put into getting into the character's dark headspace, and why it's been such a rewarding experience from a performance standpoint:
It’s probably the deepest I’ve ever gone for a character before. I’ve never played someone so rageful in my life. I went to darker places that I had never gone before, but what a gift that is to get to do that. I learn so much about myself on these jobs. It’s crazy. It’s like therapy that you can’t pay for. It blows my mind all the time, just how much I grow on these projects.
And just think, had Kaitlyn Dever been cast as Ellie years back when a movie for The Last of Us was in consideration, she might have gone through an entirely different form of grown than what she's felt as Abby. As someone who has not played the games, I am very curious to see how things evolve with Abby from here, especially after Dever talked about how viewers view her as the villain.
As The Last of Us' co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann prepare for Season 3 behind the scenes, fans are left to reckon with the finale's big death and subsequent cliffhanger. While I wasn't thrilled by how the scene was executed, I'm still very invested to see when and how Bella Ramsey's character will return next season, and whether or not Abby's final gunshot hit its target.
I have a good feeling that we won't be seeing much of Pedro Pascal's Joel given his exit in Season 2, though I still wouldn't rule out any flashbacks or dream sequences that allow him to re-enter the story, if only briefly, while Abby's tale is being laid out. If not, at least we can expect a good deal of Dever after she only had a few pivotal scenes to shine in, as well as other members from Abby's group who were fatally dispatched by Ellie.
As mentioned, The Last of Us will return to HBO for Season 3. We'll probably be waiting at least a year, if not longer, for new episodes, so let's hope there's plenty of updates from the actors involved about what to expect as they start production.
