The Last of Us Abby Actress Kaitlyn Dever Reveals She Almost Played Ellie

Kaitlyn Dever, the actress who plays Abby in The Last of Us Season 2, almost played Ellie in a different adaptation of the PlayStation video game. The two characters at the center of The Last of Us are arguably the most important pieces of the story. Joel and Ellie’s relationship is the backbone of both games and if the audience doesn’t buy into it, then the entire story absolutely crumbles. Thankfully, the game did an incredible job finding Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson to play the two leads which led to some of the most powerful performances in gaming.

The story of the first Last of Us game immediately caught the attention of Hollywood and an adaptation of the game was quickly greenlit. The initial idea was to make a movie based on the game, but eventually, it evolved into a TV series for HBO. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey were cast in the two lead roles resulting in an award-winning TV series. Although the show is a huge hit, there have been some fans that have criticized The Last of Us TV show for casting Bella Ramsey as Ellie, noting that they don’t resemble Ellie enough. This has caused a lot of discourse among the show’s fanbase, but Ramsey wasn’t the only one up for the role of Ellie in live-action.

The Last of Us Season 2 Star Kaitlyn Dever Talks About Nearly Playing Ellie

It turns out that actress Kaitlyn Dever, who plays Abby in The Last of Us Season 2, was almost Ellie in the movie version. The Last of Us movie would’ve been in the works roughly a decade ago when Dever was in her mid to late teens, making her a prime candidate for the role. She was a popular fan cast for Ellie and it turns out, she all but had the part. Dever explained how she was unofficially attached to play Ellie in The Last of Us movie on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast noting that while she never signed any contracts to play Ellie, she did a table read for the movie and had extensive conversations with creator Neil Druckmann.

“It was so exciting to be part of that conversation when I was that young, it just really felt like a big deal,” said Dever. “The highlights of that time were just going to Naughty Dog and walking around with Neil and him showing me how the game was made. I really remember all of those details. In the grand scheme of things, I think we only had two meetings, and the second meeting I really remember him showing me parts of The Last of Us 2 when it was early days of getting made and he told me what happens. Which is crazy because I have been sitting with this secret for so long. I never had the role of Ellie, it was never a for sure thing, but I was excited to know him and learn from him. We did one table read and that’s all that happened. That’s the extent of where it got in the process.”

She noted that even though The Last of Us movie fell apart, she’s grateful for the experience of being part of the conversation and it all led to Dever being cast in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. She briefly played Cassie Drake, Nathan Drake’s daughter, in the game’s epilogue. Now, everything has come full circle and she is playing Abby who is almost a mirror of Ellie in The Last of Us Season 2.

Ultimately, it all probably worked out for the best as Dever is a highlight of The Last of Us Season 2. ComicBook praised her performance in its review of the second season, noting that she brings a level of empathy and vulnerability to the role while expressing her feelings through her rage.

“I found Dever’s take on Abby easier to empathize with compared to her game counterpart,” reads the review. “She exposes the character’s sensitivity far more, highlighting the character’s unmitigated anger as something that comes as a result of profound sadness and tragedy. She’s not just some stone-cold killer or wrecking machine, she is someone who is almost releasing her emotions through violence and rage. Ironically, the same goes for Ellie, allowing them to be like mirrors of each other, which makes the story feel almost poetic.”

Kaitlyn Dever is expected to return as Abby in the already confirmed third season of The Last of Us, though no release date or window has been offered up. Do you think Kaitlyn Dever would’ve been a good Ellie or is she a better fit for Abby? Let me know in the comments.