By Mallory Mattingly
Spoilers ahead for THE LAST OF US Season 2
THE LAST OF US Season 2’s Kaitlyn Dever channeled the grief of her mother’s recent death into her character.
Dever plays Abby on the show, a character who survived the zombie apocalypse and who is now on the hunt for Pedro Pascal’s Joel Miller because he killed her father. She succeeds.
“Abby’s a grieving person; that’s what fuels her anger,” Dever told Vulture of her character. “I could relate to her, and that was a surprise to me because I wasn’t expecting to do those scenes while actually living through grief.”
The actress’s mother died from breast cancer just weeks before.
“I lost my mom two or three weeks before I actually shot this scene [on THE LAST OF US],” the LAST MAN STANDING actress explained, “and my mom’s funeral was three days before I did my first day. So I was sort of in a fog. I was in a daze.”
“To be as honest as possible,” Dever told Entertainment Weekly, “I will just say that my days leading up to this scene were horrible.”
Movieguide® advises against THE LAST OF US Season 1 due to its strong humanistic worldview, extreme graphic violence and sexual content. Season 2 likely follows suit.
Dever knew what she was stepping into when she accepted the role of Abby, a character from the video game that inspired the show that has long stoked controversy.
“I know how iconic this role has been,” she told Vulture of Pascal’s Joel Miller. “I want the fans to be proud of what I’ve done with Abby…And I’m so, so sorry.”
Director Craig Mazin and creator Neil Druckman credited Dever for her immense fortitude while filming.
Related: THE LAST OF US: Episode 1.1-3
“We said, ‘Take your time. Take all the time you need,'” Mazin said. “While I care extraordinarily about the show, it’s a TV show. I’m not going to disrupt someone’s grieving process for their own parent, especially [with] a show that’s partly about the grieving process.”
Dever’s mother died in early 2024. Shortly after, she shared a post on Instagram that honored her life and memory.
“My mama. My life. My everything. I don’t even have the words. Nothing I’ll ever say will amount to the gifts you have given me in my life, the boundless joy you brought, the deep, endless, unconditional love you gave me and our family,” Dever wrote. “Your love was everywhere.”
“Your love was like sunshine, warmed me when I needed it the most and made me smile when I was ever sad,” she continued. “You were everyone’s favorite. You are my favorite. The sweetest in the world. I will be broken forever without you and I don’t know how I’ll go on. I’m grateful that you gave me Mady, Jane, and Dad…we’ll always have each other to lean on because of you. You were the greatest mom and wife anyone could ever ever ask for. Thank you for fighting so hard for us for so long. I am forever, forever, grateful for the special time we got to spend with you, sweet mama…it will never be enough.”
“I miss your smile, your sense of humor, your hugs, your kisses, getting to hold your hand, more than anything in the world,” Dever concluded. “You made everything better. My sweetest, beautiful girl. My best friend. Oh how much I love you. What a gift it is to love you. I love you forever and ever, Mom.”
Keep Dever and her family in your prayers as she continues to grieve her mother’s death.
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