“The Last of Us” co-creator Neil Druckmann confirmed at Monday night’s FYC panel that Season 3 will focus on Kaitlyn Dever‘s character, Abby.
While discussing the amount of creative freedom HBO grants the show, Druckmann said, “I can’t believe that they let us structure the series in this way, meaning like, we just ended Season 2, and Season 3 is going to be starring — spoiler alert — Kaitlyn.”
Season 2 ended with a switch in perspective from Bella Ramsey’s character, Ellie, to Abby.
Dever, who joined the panel virtually, also spoke about taking on the character of Abby, considering that she notably killed fan-favorite Joel (Pedro Pascal) at the start of Season 2. “I guess the controversy surrounding Abby was never really a concern for me, just given my first meeting with Craig and Neil and how wonderful they are and how talented they are,” she said.
“I’ve never felt so carried on a set in my life,” Dever continued, “I know we just watched Episode 2, doing that scene in the chalet… I was going through a lot personally, but it was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had as an actor, just because it really, really felt like such a team effort.”
The panel, moderated by Rob McElhenney, also featured co-creator Craig Mazin and cast members Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, Isabela Merced and Young Mazino.
Mazin said that Joel’s death, which is depicted in the second “Last of Us” video game, made sense thematically for the series. “In a show where we try and keep things as grounded as possible, and we want people to feel in real danger, then yes, sometimes the people that we can’t imagine dying die. That’s because, for me, this is not a show about revenge. It’s a show about grief,” he said.
Ellie’s Season 2 journey headed toward vengeance, shaped by the relationship she has with Joel.
“We see Ellie at 19 now instead of 14, which is a big change for anybody, but especially if you’re living in an apocalypse with sort of like a pseudo-dad, who has a couple issues,” said Ramsey. “I think if she just loved him so much and didn’t also hate him so much for what he did, I think it would almost be simpler for her, but I think because of how complex that relationship has become, she’s so driven for justice to be done, sort of beyond justice, and it gets into some kind of dangerous territory with her.”
Ramsey was also asked about the decision to talk about their neurodivergence publicly. The actor announced earlier this year that they had been diagnosed with autism.
“I just sort of ended up talking about it. I think because it does inform so much of what I do and how I do it — I found out I got diagnosed during Season 1 of filming, and so coming into Season 2, knowing this about myself was actually just really helpful, and is helpful to me every day,” Ramsey explained. “And so it’s just a part of who I am.”
The other actors also talked about building their characters.
Luna said that Tommy “is only as durable as his ability to embrace others and to unite people, to know his weaknesses and know how vulnerable he is, and seek others and seek the strength of a family and community.”
When it comes to Dina and the romance she begins with Ellie, Merced said that “a lot of that joy and that freewheeling spirit energy was able to thrive within me because Bella was there. Bella made me feel very comfortable. Bella made me feel very heard.”
Merced also found that Mazin would incorporate her own personality and humor into the writing. Plus, she drew from the people in her life to inform the character, including her own mom: “The only reason why Dina is lovable at all is probably because I put the love I have for others into her,” she added.
Mazino also pulled inspiration from a family member — his dad — for the character of Jesse.: “I’ve been personally quite impulsive and reckless and ambitious with my own life. And because I was on the outside, I felt like I could do so, I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere in particular. But for Jesse — my dad is someone who you can depend on and really rely on in any situation, any given situation, so I needed to merge that.”
