Posted in: HBO, TV | Tagged: the last of us

The Last of Us Season 2: Merced on Expanding Dina's Backstory, Legacy

Isabela Merced on embracing the world of HBO's The Last of Us - from playing the video games to joining the second season's cast as Dina.

Isabela Merced is certainly no stranger to the pressure of tackling franchises with her time on Dora, Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), Alien: Romulus (2024), and Marvel with Madame Web (2024). Her career hasn't even peaked yet as she soars her way into the upcoming James Gunn Superman reboot as Hawkgirl and season two of HBO's The Last of Us, playing Dina, the love interest of Ellie (Bella Ramsey). The actress spoke to Entertainment Weekly about prepping for the role, how Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez's inspiration for Kay came from his playthrough of The Last of Us Part II, and how fate played a hand in her eventual casting as Dina, meeting original Dina voice actor Shannon Woodward, and embracing the culture of the game.

The Last of Us Star Isabella Merced on Filling in the Backstory

Season two of The Last of Us will parallel the 2020 Naughty Dog video game, where years have passed since Joel's (Pedro Pascal) fateful decision to save Ellie (Bella Ramsey) from an experimental fatal surgery that could have potentially saved humanity. The two find themselves estranged, living in Jackson, Wyoming, alongside Joel's brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and his wife Maria (Rutina Wesley). Ellie is settling into life, growing up into adulthood, trying to make the best of it, and falling in love with Dina in the process.

Before getting cast on the HBO series, Álvarez revealed that he cast Merced as Alien: Romulus while playing The Last of Us: Part II, writing on social media of her casting announcement, "Fun fact: I was playing #TheLastOfUs2 while writing #AlienRomulus The story of a pregnant Dina made me think of having the character of Kay be pregnant too. Then I cast Isabella Merced to play Kay…. A year later, she gets cast to play Dina on the HBO show…. True story." In the game, Dina is pregnant from her ex-boyfriend Jesse and reveals that to Ellie when they start on their "adventure."

Merced was initially skeptical before finally getting cast. She reflected on her filming her first scene with Ramsey, "Whatever you see there, it was just what was," Merced said. "We didn't work on it or do any special sessions." It was a similar approach that showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann did for Pascal and Ramsey when they started filming season one.

"Dina in the game doesn't really have a lot of backstory," Merced points out. She does point to a scene in which the character explores an abandoned synagogue with Ellie, prompting her to open up more about her Jewish heritage and stories from her past. "It's devastating and it's also inspiring, like, 'My people survived, so I can survive this.' It's really beautiful," Merced remarks of that moment. "We get to expand upon her story a little bit more in this season."

Ever cautious of spoilers, Merced described what exploring Dina's Jewish heritage in Part II meant, "I will say, though, I really appreciated that sequence in the game because it revealed so much, and it made her multi-dimensional and layered and vulnerable. I think the creators, Neil and Craig, will be giving us more of that. I just can't say how."

Merced admits she gave it her all, crediting Woodard for providing that foundation for Dina, saying, "I did not neglect a single bit of what she brought to Dina in the process of finding the live-action [version]," and it didn't hurt to have her ringing endorsement, "On top of that," she continued, "I think I brought maybe a vulnerability that you can't really feel in a video game, and an openness. I wanted to make sure she wasn't just the best friend, that she had a little bit more depth. I think Craig did a great job with the writing, but then all I had to do was make sure my heart was open."

You can check out the entire interview for more, including her embracing the franchise's embracement of LGBTQ narratives, taking a stand, and her career. Season two of The Last of Us premieres on April 13th on HBO and Max.

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