Every actor who has portrayed a live-action version of a comic or video game character has faced some Backlash from haters, but Kaitlyn Dever’s experience as Abby in Season 2 of The Last of Us is a whole different matter.

According to her co-star Isabela Merced, Dever required extra security on the set of the HBO series to keep away some overzealous (to put it mildly) fans of the game. Merced said that’s not because Dever, who was cast in January 2024, wasn’t up to the task, but because some gamers really don’t like the fictional character Abby.

“There are so many weird people in this world because there are people who really hate Abby, who is not a real person,” Merced said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “Kaitlyn had to be especially well guarded by security during filming.”

“Weird” is definitely another way to put it.

IndieWire has reached out to HBO for comment on Merced’s claim that Dever needs additional security.

Abby stars in the video game The Last of Us Part II alongside Ellie (Bella Ramsey in the series). In the game, players switch between the perspectives of both characters. Abby is a soldier caught up in the conflict between her own post-apocalyptic militia and a religious cult. Over the course of the game, Abby comes into conflict with Ellie’s own quest for vengeance and survival.

Without giving too much away, Abby is responsible for some of the most dramatic moments of Part II, so her character has become somewhat polarizing. And then there are the online misogynists who hate her simply because the (again, fictional) character isn’t more traditionally attractive. We’re not done yet, because there’s a third cult that has, for some reason, spread speculation that the character is transgender (which she isn’t).

What confused Merced, however, was the fact that The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann is one of the series’ co-creators alongside Craig Mazin, so it’s puzzling that fans of Druckmann’s own source material now have a problem with it.

“What’s confusing to me is that the showrunner and the creator of the video game are working together to make this. So if you like what the guy did and he makes more of it, why are you mad?” Merced said. “I have too much opinion to be on Twitter. I see this stuff on Twitter and it makes me want to be Cardi B.”

Dever has faced further negative reactions due to her casting. In the video game, Abby has a more muscular, masculine figure and some players believe Dever is too small for the role.

The good news is that, according to Merced, Dever is coping with it.

“Kaitlyn is such a cool person who doesn’t let anything get to her. She really had her head in the right place and is going through a lot personally,” Merced said, referring to the recent death of Dever’s mother. “It’s devastating to see that, but honestly, give her the damn Emmy. I’m so excited for people to see how amazingly well Bella and Kaitlyn did.”

Merced, who is promoting her role in Alien: Romulus, is currently filming the second season of The Last of Us for HBO, which is set to return in 2025. She plays Dina, the lover of Ramsey’s Ellie. And she admitted that filming the post-apocalyptic series can be tough.

“Every day on set is challenging,” she said. “It’s a show about mushrooms. It’s not glamorous by any means. It deals with difficult topics and conversations, and fear is one of the main emotions we experience all the time.”

In addition to Merced and Dever, Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Wright, Young Mazino, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, Spencer Lord and Danny Ramirez are also new cast members in season 2 of “The Last of Us”.

Watch Merced’s full interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast below: