"Why Are You Mad?": The Last Of Us Star Addresses Backlash As Season 2 Finishes Filming

On the podcast, Horowitz prompts Merced to speak about all the vitriol online that has been spurred already by The Last of Us season 2. In response, Merced questions "why are you mad?" in response to this kind of hate-filled backlash. The Dina actor points out that "the showrunner and the creator of the video game," Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, collaborated to make The Last of Us. The actor says that this kind of rhetoric "really pisses [her] off." Check out the full quote from Merced below:

What confuses me is like, the showrunner and the creator of the video game, they work together to make this. So, if you like what the guy made, and he's making more of it, why are mad? You know what I mean. I don't know, I'm too opinionated to be on Twitter, it really pisses me off, because I see this stuff, and it makes me want to go Cardi B on them.

The Casting Has Caused Controversy

Though Horowitz keeps it vague when addressing The Last of Us season 2 backlash, the majority of the dissent has surrounded the casting. These debates have been primarily aimed at the three young female characters who will be central to season 2. Some people have taken issue with the fact that Ramsey will return to their Ellie role despite the character being aged up five years (from 14 to 19). In reality, Ramsey is 20 years old, but the actor's young appearance has led some to think that they should have been recast.

Dever and Merced's casting as Abby and Dina, respectively, has also caused some audiences to be concerned. As Horowitz and Merced discuss in more detail in the next segment of the podcast, Abby herself was controversial in The Last of Us: Part II video game. For the show, some believe Dever's appearance is different from Abby in the game, who is a notably strong young woman. As for Dina, the character in the game is of Jewish/Israeli heritage, while Merced is Peruvian-American.