Why The Last Of Us Star Kaitlyn Dever Didn't Have To Audition To Play Abby

Stop reading right now if you haven't watched the season 2 premiere of "The Last of Us," "Future Days." Spoilers lie ahead.

The second season of "The Last of Us" is now underway. That means we've officially met Abby, the major character who basically defines the narrative of Naughty Dog's acclaimed 2020 video game sequel "The Last of Us Part II." Played by Kaitlyn Dever, Abby helps kick off the "Last of Us" TV show's season 2 premiere, "Future Days," and we immediately learn that she's hunting Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) to avenge the Fireflies he murdered at their makeshift hospital at the end of season 1 (which, as a reminder, he only did to save his surrogate daughter, Bella Ramsey's immune survivor Ellie). According to Dever, she was actually once a possible candidate to play Ellie ... and when creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin started working on their show's second season, she didn't have to audition to play Abby. In fact, Dever told The Hollywood Reporter that most of the newcomers in the hit series' sophomore season didn't have to audition. Instead, their roles were structured around them.

"I had met with Neil years ago to potentially play Ellie," Dever recalled. (Naughty Dog fans no doubt remember that Dever lent her voice to the company's game "Uncharted 4," so she worked directly with Druckmann before joining "The Last of Us" season 2). "I'm still shocked to this day that it happened this way." Dever also shared that she, Young Mazino, and Isabela Merced — all of whom play "new" characters in "The Last of Us" season 2, with Mazino and Merced playing, respectively, Jesse and Dina — didn't audition for their roles.

"They're very confident storytellers," Dever added, referring to Mazin and Druckmann. "They know who is right for their story, and they have such confidence in that. It's very helpful when you're making something like this, because it allows for freedom, and for feeling safe to play these characters."

Abby is a major (and, unfortunately, controversial) character in "The Last of Us Part II," so Kaitlyn Dever has a big challenge ahead of her on the second season of "The Last of Us." However, based on the brief time we see her on screen in the premiere, she's more than up to the task. "The way into Abby is knowing how grief feels and how loss affects you, especially in the immediate aftermath," Dever told THR. "There's just this shock and this desire to make it all go away."

Dever also addressed Abby's major threat in "Future Days" — namely, when she tells her friends (specifically, Spencer Lord's character Owen) that she wants to kill Joel, but clarifies that she wants to do it "slowly." As Dever put it, she found that line just as ominous as everyone watching. "Chilling," Dever said of Abby's threat. "She's a chilly ice queen!"

Still, at the end of the day, Dever sees the true humanity in Abby, a girl mourning the loss of her community (and father) who doesn't know about Joel's decision and only sees him as a vicious mass murderer. "She just needs something to make it all better," Dever said of Abby's mission as it pertains to Joel. "And in that moment, the only thing she can think about is revenge. She's heartbroken, she's sad, she's lost and she's trying to pick up the pieces."

"When she walks into a room, she comes through with this intense strength," Dever continued, speaking to just how intimidating Abby is in the "Last of Us" universe. "It's what makes her scary and intimidating. But it's all because of how much pain she's gone through." 

Abby's journey will continue on "The Last of Us" season 2 every Sunday on HBO and Max at 9 P.M. EST.