Kaitlyn Dever, the actress who plays Abby Anderson in the second season of HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us, required additional security for her own protection during filming.

This comes from Isabel Merced, a fellow cast member who plays Dina in the series. Speaking to Josh Horowitz at Happy Sad Confused, Merced talked about the strong emotions the series can trigger in some people, which has led to strong reactions from so-called fans.

When Horowitz said he was concerned about Dever and the toxicity she would likely experience “from her role as Abby,” Merced explained that there are “so many weird people” who “really hate” the character, despite the fact that she is entirely fictional. And because of this, Dever had to be provided with additional security during filming of the second season.

Without revealing why the character is receiving so much hate, Merced said Dever is “such a cool person who doesn’t let anything bother her” and already deserves an Emmy for her performance.

“I’m so excited for people to see how incredibly well Bella (Ramsey, who plays Ellie) and Kaitlyn did,” the actress said. “I’m so excited.”

Dever is, of course, not the first actress to play Abby. In the video game series, she was portrayed by Laura Bailey. Earlier this year, Bailey said that the online abuse she received after certain plot points of The Last of Us Part 2 were made public threatened not only her life, but that of her son as well.

“Every time I went online, that’s all I saw. Death threats and threats of violence,” she said in the behind-the-scenes documentary “Grounded 2: Making The Last of Us Part 2,” released in February.

As for the television series itself, Merced said the team is currently at the “end” of filming and the second season of The Last of Us is scheduled to premiere in 2025.

Earlier this month, HBO released a new teaser for the upcoming season, in which we see Dever as Abby from The Last of Us for the first time and learn more about Joel, Ellie, Dina and Catherine O’Hara’s as yet unnamed character.