3 weeks Ago By Katie Palmer
The Last of Us has returned with a second outing on HBO and Sky, with the latest episode killing off one of the fan-favourite characters. Kaitlyn Dever plays Abby in the post-apocalyptic drama and her character murdered Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) in what was a devastating moment for fans. Although many viewers who have played the video game would have known Joel's death was coming, the heartbreaking scene still came as a shock.
The stars themselves also struggled with the scene, in particular Kaitlyn who revealed she shot the pivotal moment just days after the death of her mother. The Apple Cider Vinegar star told Entertainment Weekly: "It was just a massive scene emotionally, and with blocking, too. There were so many moving parts and so many things to navigate.
"To be as honest as possible, I will just say that my days leading up to this scene were horrible.” She lost her mother Kathy to breast cancer just a couple of weeks before filming the scene. "My mom's funeral was three days before I did my first day.
So I was sort of in a fog. I was in a daze," she added. Showrunner Craig Mazin made sure she had all the time she needed to deal with her personal grief and the shooting schedule was changed to accommodate her.
“Because of my life circumstances, I wasn't actually able to do my normal routine as an actor, which was really interesting because I was kind of worried about it," she explained. In the heartbreaking episode, Abby stumbled upon a swarm of infected who had hidden themselves beneath corpses. She was saved by Joel but quickly realized who he was and lured him into a trap.
At the lodge, Abby and her crew turned on Joel with Abby revealing her true identity as the daughter of the Firefly surgeon Joel shot in the head during the season one finale. She then shot Joel in the leg before brutally beating him with a golf club, using it to stab him in the neck in front of Ellie (Bella Ramsey). Kaitlyn's mom had been in a 14-year battle with metastatic breast cancer and at her time of death, she shared on Instagram: "My mama.
My life. My everything. I don’t even have the words.
"Nothing I’ll ever say will amount to the gifts you have given me in my life, the boundless joy you brought, the deep, endless, unconditional love you gave me and our family. Your love was everywhere." The Last of Us continues on Sunday nights on HBO and Max, with UK fans able to watch on Sky and NOW every Monday.
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