Isabela Merced: Kaitlyn Dever Needed Extra Security on ‘The Last of Us’ Set

With a resume that includes titles such as Madame Web, Alien: Romulus, Superman: Legacy, and The Last of Us, Isabela Merced is no stranger to projects with passionate fanbases. She emphasizes the importance of remembering that these stories and characters are fictional.

During an appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Merced discussed filming the second season of The Last of Us, where she portrays Dina, a character fans recognize from the game The Last of Us: Part II.

Horowitz brought up her co-star Kaitlyn Dever, who joins the show as Abby, a character known for doing controversial things in the video game. Due to the negative feelings fans hold about Abby, Merced revealed that Dever needed extra security while filming.

“There are people that genuinely hate Abby, who is not a real person,” Merced remarked. She described Dever as “such a cool person” who doesn’t let things bother her and “has her head in the right place.”

She continued, “Give her the damn Emmy honestly. I’m so excited for people to see how incredibly well Bella [Ramsey] and Kaitlyn did on this.”

With the second season nearing completion, Merced teased that fans will love the romance between Dina and Ramsey’s character Ellie. “It brings a tear to my eye,” she shared, adding that she has “a whole playlist for Dina and Ellie.” She highlighted a song by Adrian Linker that would “set the tone” for the pair on set.

Surprisingly, even though Dina is Ellie’s romantic interest, Merced did not screen-test with Ramsey for the role. Instead, she recalled a “generic meeting” with creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, where they mentioned the character. “I guess they decided there and then that they wanted me. So that’s wild. I don’t even think I believe in myself that much,” she admitted.

In addition to her role in The Last of Us season two, Merced will also star as Hawkgirl in Superman: Legacy, James Gunn’s upcoming DCU reboot.

When discussing the pressures of dealing with fandoms, Merced noted that she remains unfazed as “you’re not going to make everyone happy,” which is “a common thing in art.” She accepts that “not everyone’s going to enjoy it.”

“My job is to just be prepared and know things and more than anything know about my own character,” she explained. Merced added that she gets “as obsessed as the nerds do,” wanting to know everything about the projects she works on.

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While committed to diving deep into her characters, Merced says this dedication also makes her empathetic towards the enthusiastic, and sometimes overly critical, fans of the franchises she joins.

As The Last of Us season two approaches its release, viewers are eagerly anticipating how Merced and her co-stars will bring their beloved game characters to life, while respecting the fervor and expectations of the fan base.

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