Isabela Merced walks the red carpet at the premiere of “Alien: Romulus” at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles | Photo credit: DAVID SWANSON

Isabela Merced recently spoke about the strong reactions of fans to the upcoming second season of The Last of Usespecially in relation to her co-star Kaitlyn Dever. During an appearance on Josh Horowitz Happy Sad Confused In the podcast, Merced talked about the challenges Dever faced on set due to fans’ strong feelings for her character Abby.

Abby, played by Dever, is a central character in The Last of Us: Part II game and is notorious for actions that have divided fans. According to Merced, Dever required heightened security during filming due to the backlash against her character. “There are people who really hate Abby, even though she’s not a real person,” Merced noted, emphasizing the intensity of the fan reaction.

Despite the negative attention, Merced praised Dever’s resilience and professionalism, describing her as “such a cool person” who remains unfazed by the controversy. She even expressed her admiration for Dever’s performance, saying, “Honestly give her the damn Emmy. I’m so excited for people to see how incredibly well Bella (Ramsey) and Kaitlyn did.”

As the season draws to a close, Merced hinted that she is especially excited to see how the love story between her character Dina and Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, develops. She said the on-screen relationship brought her to tears and that she even put together a playlist to set the mood on set.

As Merced reflected on the pressure that comes with having a loyal fan base, she noted that it is impossible to please everyone and that her focus remains on her performance. The Last of Us Season two and her role as Hawkgirl in Superman: Legacy On the horizon, Merced seems more than ready to face the challenges of a passionate audience.