Kaitlyn Dever wants to “humanise” her villainous character, Abby, in ‘The Last of Us’
Actor Kaitlyn Dever wants to “humanise” her controversial character in the new series of The Last of Us.
The HBO zombie thriller show starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey premiered the first episode of its second series on April 13th. However, the new run of episodes will also feature Dever playing villain figure Abby, who is a highly unpopular character among fans of the original video game.
Despite this, the actor is determined to make audiences see an emotional depth in Abby that they may not have realised before. In an interview for Elle Magazine on April 14th, Dever said, “I wanted a lot of the broken parts of Abby to show through in her eyes—I wanted to humanise her as much as I possibly could.”
The Apple Cider Vinegar star continued: “It’s easy to call Abby a villain because of how she presents herself in the world—her tough exterior. But [she’s also] this raw, broken, vulnerable person. It’s important to see that.”
Dever’s casting as the controversial character came after the actor who played Abby in the original video game of The Last of Us 2, released in 2020, received backlash and even death threats online for her role. However, showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin advised the actor not to focus on the potential for hate.
She added: “I really do want to make the fans proud, but I can’t control what people are going to say. I have to trust myself and trust my instincts.”
The support of Druckmann and Mazin was also vital, she explained, saying: “That was helpful for me, to let all of the other nerves about playing someone a bit controversial float away—because they chose me to take this on.”
New episodes of The Last of Us will be released weekly on HBO.
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