Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part II.
A lot of the casting discussion around The Last of Us season 2 has focused on who will play Abby, but it’s just as crucial to cast the right actors for other key roles like Dina, Jesse, and Lev. After the first Last of Us game fit neatly into the first season of the show, the second season will begin to tackle the much larger, much more ambitious, and much more controversial storyline of The Last of Us Part II. The Last of Us Part II revolves around Ellie’s quest for revenge following Joel’s murder, and the game gives just as much of a spotlight to Joel’s killer, Abby, forcing the player to empathize with her side of the story. HBO’s casting team found the perfect Joel and Ellie in Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, and now, they have to find an actor to take on the daunting challenge of portraying The Last of Us franchise’s most polarizing figure in live-action.
There are a lot of names getting bandied around for the role of Abby, from actors who are known for playing morally gray antiheroes, like Florence Pugh and Chloë Grace Moretz, to actors who are known for their toughness and physicality, like Ronda Rousey and Katy M. O’Brian. Abby will definitely be the trickiest role to cast from The Last of Us Part II. The Last of Us season 2 has to make the audience empathize with Joel’s murderer without the game’s ability to literally put them in her shoes, and that will mostly rest on the actor playing her. But Abby isn’t the only casting challenge facing The Last of Us season 2. The Last of Us Part II is full of great characters that HBO needs to find the right actors for.
Abby Isn't The Only Major Character Introduced In The Last Of Us Part II
As the second playable protagonist, Abby is the most important new character introduced in The Last of Us Part II. But she’s not the only significant role that HBO has to cast for The Last of Us season 2. It’s important to find the right actor to play Dina. In the first half of the game, Dina replaces Joel as Ellie’s scavenging partner. And not only that, she’s also her romantic interest. The actor playing Dina needs to have palpable on-screen chemistry with Ramsey to bring the characters’ beautiful romance to life. The show needs to cast a lovable actor to play Jesse, too. Jesse doesn’t get as much screen time as Dina, but his actor has to make a big impression on viewers so the shock factor lands when he’s abruptly killed off by Abby in the middle of the story.
Perhaps the most important role from The Last of Us Part II for the TV show to cast – besides Abby – is Lev. Lev is the Ellie to Abby’s Joel. He’s the bright-eyed youngster she takes under her wing and vows to protect from the evils of the post-apocalyptic wasteland. Lev is responsible for bringing back Abby’s humanity and making her a redeemable character. During the intense theater ambush scene, Lev implores Abby not to kill Dina. Lev is one of the most endearing characters in the game, and the actor who plays him in live-action needs to capture that.
Who Could Play The Other Characters From The Last Of Us Part II?
There’s a lot of discourse around who will play Abby in The Last of Us season 2, but who will play Dina, Jesse, Lev, Yara, Owen, Mel, and all the other key characters from the second game? One name getting thrown around for Dina is Paolina Hernandez van Kleef, because van Kleef made a brief cameo appearance at Jackson in season 1 and her character was rumored to be a young Dina. If the HBO series’ casting team wants to cast a bigger name, Jenna Ortega could be an inspired choice. She’s earned a place in the “scream queen” pantheon with her roles in X and Scream, and her iconic turn as Wednesday Addams showed off her ability to play a relatable human being in a pulpy genre story.
Steven Yeun is a popular casting choice for Jesse. He would’ve been perfect for the part a decade ago when he was starring in a different zombie drama, but now, he’s a little too old to play the character. Ki Hong Lee’s portrayal of Minho in the Maze Runner franchise proves he’d be a good choice to play Jesse. Dallas James Liu might be too busy with his lead role as Zuko in Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series to commit to another TV role, but he’d make a great Jesse, too. Ian Alexander could reprise the role of Lev from the game, but they might have aged out of the role. It’s important for Lev to look like a youthful, wide-eyed kid for Abby’s protective instincts to kick in.
It might be a good idea to cast the new additions in The Last of Us season 2 with relative unknowns. The star power of Pedro Pascal already brought new fans to The Last of Us for season 1. Now that the series is a hit and future seasons are a given, it doesn’t necessarily need more A-listers in its line-up. The casting team can search outside the established circles and find up-and-coming actors who are ideal for each of these roles. After the casting team picked Pascal and Ramsey for Joel and Ellie in season 1, there’s no doubt they’ll nail the casting for season 2.