Kaitlyn Dever, who plays Abby in the upcoming second season of HBO's The Last of Us, had additional protection during filming due to the toxicity surrounding her character.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Dina actress Isabel Merced said the team at HBO believed there could be an increased risk due to the toxicity surrounding Abby. Some members of The Last of Us community have expressed hatred for the character and harassed and sent death threats to Laura Bailey, who played Abby in the video game.
"There's so many strange people in this world because there are people that actually genuinely hate Abby, who is not a real person. Just a reminder: Not a real person," Merced asserted before mentioning the additional precautions on set. "Kaitlyn had to be extra secured by security when it came to the filming of this."
Abigail "Abby" Anderson is one of the main characters in The Last of Us Part 2 and therefore has a big role to play in the upcoming adaptation. HBO described her as a "skilled soldier whose black-and-white view of the world is challenged as she seeks vengeance for those she loved."
Merced had nothing but praise for Dever, who took on the role despite the fact it could garner backlash from some. "Give her the damn Emmy, honestly," she said. "I'm so excited for people to see how incredibly well [Ellie actor Bella Ramsey] and Kaitlyn did on this. I'm so excited."
Voice actress Bailey spoke out in 2020 about the online harassment and death threats she received in the aftermath of the game's release, which included vile threats and abuse targeting her, her parents, and her two-year-old son.
She later thanked others for sending "positive messages to balance it out" and for reminding her that "good people far outweigh the bad."
An exact date for the release of The Last of Us Season 2 has yet to be announced, which will adapt the 2020 sequel video game, but we do know it will be headed to screens in 2025. The teaser trailer for the upcoming installment featured Dever's Abby, as well as Pedro Pascal's Joel, who is reckoning with his big decision from Season 1.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter here.
