'The Last of Us': Kaitlyn Dever breaks down explosive finale, teases 'crazier' Season 3

It’s 6 a.m. successful Brisbane, Australia, and Kaitlyn Dever is reasoning astir going to the beach. Except it’s pouring rainfall outside, which is the lone crushed she had the enactment to cheque retired the waves successful the archetypal place. The deluge has delayed her telephone clip for “Godzilla x Kong: Supernova,” the monster movie she’s been shooting for the past mates of months.

Just however hard is it raining? Like a mean downpour? Or is it the benignant of deluge we spot successful the last minutes of the play finale of “The Last of Us”?

“It’s really pouring similar the finale of ‘The Last of Us,’” Dever says, laughing.

With the formation disconnected the menu, we person plentifulness of clip to settee successful and speech astir the bruising (and perchance confusing) play finale of “The Last of Us.” Anyone reasoning that the finale mightiness diagnostic a showdown betwixt Dever’s character, Abby Anderson, the young pistillate who killed Joel (Pedro Pascal) to avenge her father’s death, and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who has been hunting Abby to nonstop her ain revenge, mightiness beryllium disappointed.

Abby doesn’t crook up until the episode’s past 3 minutes. When she does yet arrive, she ambushes Ellie. It’s not a tender reunion.

“I fto you live,” Abby hisses. “And you wasted it!”

Then we perceive the dependable of a gunshot and the surface goes black. After a reset, we spot Abby lying connected a sofa successful an wholly antithetic environment, being beckoned from her respite to conscionable with militia person Isaac (Jeffrey Wright). She strides to a balcony successful Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, the stadium present being utilized arsenic a basal for the Washington Liberation Front. Her entranceway is positively papal, and arsenic Abby surveys the scene, a graphic lands connected the screen: Seattle Day One, a clip framework we’ve already lived from Ellie’s constituent of view.

What the hellhole conscionable happened?

[Laughs] I don’t know. I person nary idea.

It looks similar the amusement conscionable reset and we’ll beryllium starting Season 3 pursuing Abby for 3 days, starring up to her confrontation with Ellie.

One would think, yes. But [“The Last of Us” co-creator] Craig [Mazin] hasn’t talked to maine astir what he’s doing. All helium said to maine was, “Just get acceptable for what’s to travel due to the fact that it’s going to beryllium crazier.” He ever said helium wanted to marque Season 2 bigger than Season 1, and helium said Season 3 is going to beryllium adjacent bigger. I’m like, “OK. I’ll beryllium ready.”

How did helium transportation you connected doing the amusement successful the archetypal place?

At my archetypal gathering with Craig and Neil [Druckmann, co-creator of “The Last of Us” game] they told maine that their program for Season 2 was Abby’s instauration to “The Last of Us” world. They told maine the fig of episodes, truthful I wasn’t ace amazed astir that, though I wasn’t reasoning that the full play was going to extremity connected me. [Laughs]

So erstwhile you got the publication and work that ending ...

I was like, “We’re truly doing this. Wow.” It’s a batch of pressure. I ever deliberation astir the times successful my past erstwhile I’ve done things and I’ve had 1 enactment successful a scene, and it’s the astir nerve-racking happening to do. Everyone other has dialogue, and you’re conscionable reasoning astir your 1 enactment and however you’re going to accidental it and if you screw it up, the full country is screwed up due to the fact that of your 1 line. It’s beauteous terrifying — but thrilling too.

You’re talking astir Abby telling Ellie, “You wasted it”? You truly spit it retired with immoderate heat.

That’s bully to know. I was going backmost and distant betwixt Vancouver and L.A., truthful I perpetually had to recalibrate and get backmost into the affectional strength of Abby. That was really the past country I shot.

How did you find your mode backmost into Abby’s anger?

Well, the precise archetypal country I changeable was the sidesplitting of Joel. The airy one. [Laughs] So getting backmost into it, I’d ever spell backmost to that and Abby’s monologue, what she says to Joel earlier shooting him. Those words are truthful visceral and heartbreaking and truly overgarment a picture. So I conscionable kept bringing myself backmost to that place, however I’d been reasoning astir saying those words for 5 years.

Abby’s brutal brushwood with Ellie successful Seattle was the past country Dever changeable connected “The Last of Us” Season 2.

(Liane Hentscher / HBO)

Did you ticker that Joel occurrence erstwhile it aired oregon had you already seen it?

I did ticker it with my partner. But the archetypal clip I watched it, I was by myself. And earlier that, I had gone to bash ADR [automated dialog replacement] with Craig, and helium asked, “Can I conscionable amusement you a small spot of it?” And I was connected the level due to the fact that I was truthful overwhelmed. That is the astir aggravated occurrence of tv I’ve ever seen. And past erstwhile I watched it later, I couldn’t judge it, adjacent though I had experienced it myself.

You had experienced it, but you’ve said you don’t truly retrieve filming it due to the fact that it was 4 days aft your mother’s funeral. [Dever’s mother, Kathy, died from bosom crab successful February 2024.] In immoderate ways, it indispensable person been similar you were watching it for the archetypal time.

I had to alert retired 3 days aft her funeral. And the 4th time was that country successful the chalet with the Fireflies and Joel connected the floor. So, yeah, it’s each a blur, and it felt similar I got to acquisition it arsenic a first-time viewer. I’d spot things and go, “Oh, yeah.” Grief does a truly absorbing happening with your brain. It messes with your memory.

Filming the country wherever you brutally termination 1 of the astir beloved characters connected tv goes backmost to what you were saying astir pressure. And to bash it nether those circumstances indispensable person been overwhelming.

I was terrified. I had spent truthful overmuch clip contemplating my mom’s decease earlier she died, reasoning astir however I wouldn’t beryllium capable to spell on. I couldn’t imagine. And past it’s a heartbreaking happening to deliberation about, however beingness moves on. And you person the prime to support going oregon not spell to Vancouver and bash the amusement that she was truthful excited astir maine doing. And past aft she passed, I realized there’s nary portion of maine that couldn’t not bash this. I had to bash it for her.

How did you combat past the fear?

My dada truly encouraged me. I truly was terrified. And helium was like, “You got this. Mom was truthful excited that you got to beryllium successful this show.” And luckily, the unit was truthful knowing and supportive. Everyone took attraction of me.

Then it’s 15 months aboriginal and the occurrence yet airs, which I’d ideate brings astir a antithetic acceptable of worries. Did you spell online to cheque retired the reaction?

Of people I did! I termination everyone’s favourite character, the emotion of everyone’s life. I’d ne'er been portion of thing this monolithic before. Like, the full satellite is watching this. I had nary thought what to expect.

And what did you find?

It was much affirmative than I thought it would be.

I didn’t play the game, truthful 1 of my archetypal thoughts aft watching it was: Wow, gamers tin support a secret.

They can. I loved watching each those TikTok videos wherever radical were filming their parents oregon partners watching and showing their reactions.

Having played the game, you’ve known astir Abby and Joel for years.

My dada was playing the 2nd crippled and handed maine the controller and said, “Kaitlyn, you’ve got to spot this.” In the game, it’s truthful jarring and shocking.

On TV too!

[Laughs] But with the game, aft they termination Joel, each of a abrupt you’re playing arsenic a woman. And my archetypal absorption was, “Is this Ellie? Am I playing arsenic Ellie?” It is absorbing however they instrumentality these 2 characters who are mirrors of each different successful galore ways.

Dever’s Abby surveys the enactment wrong T-Mobile Park connected “Seattle Day One.”

(Liane Hentscher / HBO)

I was reasoning astir however it’d beryllium large if Season 3 would person an occurrence with Abby and her begetter that mirrored the 1 with Ellie and Joel.

That’s a truly bully idea. I anticipation we get to bash thing similar that.

I person a feeling you might. Maybe you adjacent cognize thing astir that. [Laughs]

Honestly, I tin support a concealed too! I knew astir Joel dying agelong earlier adjacent Season 1 due to the fact that I had met with Neil years agone erstwhile they were talking astir making a movie from the game. And helium was showing maine the making of the 2nd crippled and asked, “You privation to cognize what happens?” And I’m like, “Oh, my God!” So I’ve been keeping this successful a agelong time.

So you’re bully astatine keeping a secret. Gamers cognize however Season 3 is apt to develop. You’ve played the game. Are you being coy?

[Laughs] We don’t cognize what Craig’s plans are. He has been playing with dynamics, adjacent successful that archetypal occurrence of the play wherever we spot Abby taking complaint and being a leader.

She definite looks similar she’s a person successful the finale’s past scene.

That country plays astatine the thought that Abby is sitting successful her power. And immoderate that means, I volition support to myself for now. People who person played the crippled volition person a fewer guesses.

When you went to enactment connected “Godzilla x Kong: Supernova” the time aft the Abby/Joel occurrence aired, did radical dainty you a small differently? Maybe support their region a bit? Hide the play clubs?

It was beauteous chaotic to spell to enactment that day. Everyone wanted to speech astir it. And each they could truly get retired was, “Oooooof, that episode.”

One happening I kept looking for each play was wherever they utilized CGI to region a spider wound from your face. I couldn’t find it.

[Laughs] It’s successful the archetypal occurrence with the Fireflies. I had gone location for a fewer weeks and got a spider wound connected my cheek. I thought it was a pimple. It was not a pimple. It was a immense spider wound and ... I hatred to usage this word, but it was oozing. And the CGI is amazing. You can’t adjacent archer it is there. I inactive person a scar connected my look due to the fact that they had to chopped it out.

So, to summarize: a precise eventful sprout for you.

For galore reasons. I’ll ne'er hide it.