Kaitlyn Dever Needed Extra Security Because ‘The Last of Us’ Fans Hate Her Character, Co-Star Isabela Merced Says

Any actor who has portrayed a live-action version of a comic book or video-game character has faced some backlash from haters , but Kaitlyn Dever’s experience as Abby on “The Last of Us” Season 2 is a whole ‘nother thing.

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According to her co-star Isabela Merced, Dever required extra security on the HBO series’ set to keep some overzealous (to put it one way) fans of the game away. Merced suggested it’s not because Dever, who was cast in January 2024, wasn’t up to the task, but rather because some gamers genuinely dislike Abby, the fictional character.

“There’s so many strange people in this world because there are people that actually genuinely hate Abby, who is not a real person,” Merced said during the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast. “Kaitlyn had to be extra secured by security when it came to the filming of this.”

“Strange” is definitely another way to put it.

IndieWire has reached out to HBO for comment on Merced’s assertion that Dever needed additional security.

Abby in “The Last of Us Part II” video game is a co-lead with Ellie (Bella Ramsey on the series); the game has players alternating between both characters’ points of view. Abby is a soldier caught up in the conflict between her own post-apocalyptic militia and a religious cult. Throughout the course of the game, Abby ends up at odds with Ellie’s own quest for revenge and survival.

Without any spoilers, Abby is responsible for some of “Part II’s” biggest moments of drama, so her character has become a bit polarizing. And then there are just the online misogynists who hate simply because the (again, fictional) character is not more traditionally attractive. We’re not done yet, for there is a third sect who for some reason have spread speculation that the character is trans (she’s not).

What confused Merced though was that “The Last of Us” creator Neil Druckmann is a co-creator of the series alongside Craig Mazin, so it’s perplexing that fans of Druckmann’s own source material would have a problem now.

“What confuses me is the showrunner and 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 you mad?,” Merced said. “I’m too opinionated to be on Twitter. I see this stuff on Twitter, and it makes me want to go Cardi B on them.”

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Dever faced other backlash because of her casting specifically. The video game Abby has a muscular, more masculine figure, and some gamers believe Dever is too small for the role.

The good news is, Merced said Dever can handle it.

“Kaitlyn is such a cool person who does not get phased by things. She really had her head in the right place, and also is going through a lot personally right now,” Merced said, referring to the recent passing of Dever’s mother. “It’s devastating to see, but also give her the damn Emmy, honestly. I’m so excited for people to see how incredibly well Bella and Kaitlyn did on this.”

Merced, who is promoting her role in “Alien: Romulus,” is currently filming “The Last of Us” Season 2 for HBO, which is set to return in 2025 . She plays Dina, the love interest to Ramsey’s Ellie. And she admitted that filming the post-apocalyptic show can be tough.

“Every day on set is challenging,” she said. “It’s a show about fungus. It’s not glamorous by any means. It’s hard topics and conversations, and fear is one of the main emotions that we do experience throughout.”

In addition to Merced and Dever, “The Last of Us” Season 2 also welcomes new cast members Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Wright, Young Mazino, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, Spencer Lord, and Danny Ramirez.

Watch Merced’s full interview on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast below: