Actor Kaityln Dever did not have to bulk up for her role as Abby in the upcoming second season of The Last of Us, despite her counterpart in Part 2 being known for her muscular physique.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, The Last of Us showrunner Neil Druckmann noted that Abby in the game was able to maneuver through the world like Joel “in the way she can physically manhandle certain things”. This is different from Ellie, who has a smaller and lighter frame. However, this kind of “brute” like manoeuvrability isn’t so essential for Abby when it comes to the show.
“There’s not as much violent action moment to moment,” Druckmann explained. “It’s more about the drama. I’m not saying there’s no action here. It’s just, again, different priorities and how you approach it,” he continued, adding “[Dever] has the spirit of the game in her”.
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The Last of Us team “value performance over anything else”, he added, and prioritised capturing “the essence” of a role, rather than just finding someone who looked like a carbon copy of the video game character.
“What I always loved about the idea was that you are going to continually be challenged as you were in season one,” Druckmann furthered. “When you try to pick a hero, it’s tough because we’re human beings, we’re not heroes. For every heroic act, there’s someone who suffers on the other side who may see you reasonably as a villain. When you look at Kaitlyn, there’s just something in her eyes where, even no matter what she’s experiencing, you connect.