Kaitlyn Dever: In ‘The Final of Us Season 2’, we’re displaying Abby’s facet of the story a bit of extra – EXCLUSIVE |

Kaitlyn Dever isn’t new to emotionally charged roles—however her newest is likely to be her boldest but. As she prepares to step into the footwear of Abby within the extremely anticipated second season of The Final of Us, the actress opened up about her journey from fan of the online game to the pivotal participant in its tv adaptation. Sitting down for a roundtable chat attended by ETimes, Dever shared her ideas on the emotional weight of the collection, teased what’s to come back in Season 2, and mirrored on the chance to carry depth and nuance to one of the controversial characters within the franchise.
Reflecting on her trajectory and the way naturally she’s gravitated towards heavier materials, Dever mentioned with amusing, “I really feel like I used to be simply fascinated with that the opposite day—how I have not completed a comedy shortly. It simply type of occurred. I did not actually search it out that a lot.”
On what followers can anticipate from her portrayal of Abby, the actress remained cautious however hinted at a extra emotionally complicated and grounded model of the controversial character. “There’s once more, not so much I can say about what they will anticipate,” she admitted. “However I suppose, as a result of we’re taking inspiration from the sport and turning it right into a present, it permits us to dig so much deeper—by way of emotion and character arc and what these persons are considering. I consider it extra when you’ve got the chance to make it right into a present.”
Kaitlyn added, “For Abby, I believe we’re simply going deeper. I felt like we have been actually embedding ourselves into the bones of Abby, and giving her a bit of little bit of a lead-up too, as a result of within the recreation clearly when she seems, we do not know who this lady is. She comes out of nowhere. Within the present, we’re giving her a bit of bit extra context and displaying her facet of the story a bit of bit extra, which I believe is actually thrilling and attention-grabbing.”
A longtime fan of The Final of Us recreation herself, Dever mentioned the chance to be part of the variation was a dream come true. “I all the time thought that it could be such an incredible factor to carry that recreation to life in that form of manner,” she shared. “When it got here round as a TV present, I watched it instantly and simply fell in love with it. To see the fan base develop since its launch has been type of superb.”
She added that being a part of such a culturally impactful collection has been a deeply rewarding expertise: “It is actually highly effective to get to see this come to life as an actor, and being concerned in it’s actually cool. I really feel actually grateful to be part of this type of present that’s actually making an impression on folks. It is a huge second in TV, I suppose.”
Addressing the backlash the character Abby acquired following the sport’s launch—and the tough criticism endured by voice actress Laura Bailey—Dever acknowledged the controversy whereas affirming her dedication to the position.
“I’m clearly conscious of all of that,” she mentioned. “And I believe that it is typically… you recognize, I hope that persons are in a position to separate the particular person from the sport or present, as a result of we’re not these characters that we’re taking part in. However I used to be clearly conscious of it once I signed on to do that. On no account was any of it ever gonna cease me from taking part in Abby and taking up this position, as a result of it was such a terrific alternative for me as an actor. I liked the entire folks on the present, and I’m an enormous fan.”
Season 2 of the American post-apocalyptic drama The Final of Us premieres on HBO on April 13, 2025. The collection begins again Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, together with new additions together with Isabela Merced as Dina, Younger Mazino as Jesse and Danny Ramirez as Manny.