Anyone who played The Last of Us on PlayStation knew that HBO would renew it. The story was too good for people not to tune in and the characters left fans emotional after every episode. But, let this writer tell the uninformed something. You haven’t seen anything yet. The second season of The Last of Us on HBO will feature one of the most controversial PlayStation characters of all time, Abby.
WARNING! SPOILERS FOR THE LAST OF US SEASON 2 AHEAD!!!
Early during the game, you learn that Joel is the man who killed her father (the surgeon who was going to operate on Ellie). That leads to some thought-provoking moments. As deep and introspective as they are, that’s not the first thing people think of when it comes to Abby. They think of her size.
Because Abby is more brawny and stronger than most of the people in the game, you’d assume someone who matched her size would be cast. Instead, the five-foot-two-inch Kaitlyn Dever was brought in for the role. Now, as much as I would have preferred someone built like Katy M. O'Brian to play her, I’m not totally mad at the casting.
Fans of the source material should recognize two things. Chief among them is that this isn’t The Last of Us video game. That much was apparent during season 1 with Joel. Pedro Pascal wasn’t as angry as the PlayStation version of the character. Another example is Bill and Frank didn't have as loving of a relationship in the game. It's easy to assume that things would be altered in season 2.
The second thing reason, and this is the most important, Kaitlyn Dever is a good performer. No matter how accurate the casting is, it would be worth nothing if the person put in the role couldn’t portray the character. Admittedly, I only know Kaitlyn Dever from Hulu’s Dopesick and No One Will Save You. Nevertheless, that’s more than enough for me to put faith in her. Sure, she’s nowhere near the size of Abby, but if she captures the character, fans won’t care.
The other thing to consider is the size difference between Ellie and Abby. Abby was more muscular than her rival with way bigger arms, but she didn’t tower over her. According to Google, Bella Ramsey (who plays Ellie) is five-foot-one-inch tall. Having someone close to a foot taller and muscular would be a bit much. It’s kind of like casting someone five-foot-three-inches to play Logan. Deadpool and Wolverine showed that comic-book-accurate Logan may not work in a live-action project whenever the other performers are close to six feet tall.
The last thing this writer will say is that he’s slightly disappointed. This was an opportunity for a bigger woman to play Abby. People around the world are starting to understand that people come in all shapes and sizes. WWE Superstars Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, and Piper Niven have broken the outdated standard of what beautiful women should look like. It would have been cool to see the same thing happen in season 2 of The Last of Us, but there’s no doubt that Kaitlyn Dever will be a good Abby.
Do you think a bigger actress should have played Abby? Does it matter to you either way? Let us know on the Bam Smack Pow Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter.