Merced will play Dina, “a free-wheeling spirit whose devotion to Ellie will be tested by the brutality of the world they inhabit.”
If you played the video game, you’ll know that Dina and Ellie share a very close and intimate relationship, with her ultimately being Ellie’s love interest.
On the casting, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann said “Dina is warm, brilliant, wild, funny, moral, dangerous and instantly lovable,” adding “You can search forever for an actor who effortlessly embodies all of those things, or you can find Isabela Merced right away. We couldn’t be prouder to have her join our family.”
With the announcement, Merced shared a picture of an article announcing her casting with the caption “This is very crazy/cool!!”.
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Young Mazino as Jesse
In January 2024, Variety announced that actor Young Mazino, best known for his role as Paul in the critically-acclaimed Netflix series Beef will play the character of Jesse in the second season, a character who is “a pillar of his community who puts everyone else’s needs before his own, sometimes at terrible cost.”
“Young is one of those rare actors who is immediately undeniable the moment you see him,” said series co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. “We’re so lucky to have him, and we can’t wait for the audience to see Young shine in our show.”
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby
Deadline revealed that Kaitlyn Dever will also be joining The Last of Us season 2 as Abby.
Described as “a skilled soldier whose black-and-white view of the world is challenged as she seeks vengeance for those she loved”, Dever has previously appeared in films such as Booksmart and Rosaline.
Of the casting, the show’s creators said their process for finding actors is to “look for world-class actors who embody the souls of the characters in the source material”, adding “we’re thrilled to have an acclaimed performer like Kaitlyn join Pedro, Bella and the rest of our family.”
