Kaitlyn Dever's Abby Enhanced by CGI in The Last of Us

There's been significant discussion around Abby's introduction in The Last of Us Season 2, but few anticipated actor Kaitlyn Dever requiring CGI to conceal a (shudder) spider bite on her face.

Surprisingly, that's precisely what occurred. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times about filming the hit series, Dever revealed that during one of her initial episodes with the Fireflies, the production team had to digitally mask an "oozing" (shudder x2) bite mark she sustained between shoots.

"It appears in the first Fireflies episode," Dever explained. "I returned home for a few weeks and noticed what I assumed was a pimple on my cheek. It turned out to be far more serious.

"The bite became severely inflamed and, while I dislike the term, it began oozing," she continued. "The visual effects team worked wonders. The correction is completely seamless. I still bear a facial scar from the subsequent medical procedure."

Dver also addressed channeling emotional intensity for that pivotal scene. Having recently lost her mother to cancer, with the funeral occurring just four days prior, she filmed the emotionally charged confrontation with Joel and Ellie while navigating profound grief.

"I returned to set three days post-funeral. The following day we shot the Fireflies cabin sequence. The entire period remains hazy, almost like experiencing it as a first-time viewer would. Grief profoundly affects cognitive function - it genuinely distorts memory formation."

HBO has celebrated The Last of Us Season 2's performance, noting a surge that expanded the series' global viewership beyond 90 million since Season 1 concluded. The Season 2 finale attracted 3.7 million cross-platform viewers in the U.S., compared to the season premiere's 5.3 million. While this indicates a viewership decline across the season, Warner Bros. anticipates final numbers will "significantly" increase given Memorial Day weekend's traditionally lower television engagement.

It's noteworthy that Season 1's finale set a series record with 8.2 million viewers, leaving Season 2's conclusion with considerable ground to cover before matching that achievement.

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Recently, showrunner Craig Mazin suggested a fourth season becoming necessary for proper narrative completion. He acknowledged that compressing the remainder of Naughty Dog's two-game saga into Season 3 would make it "impossibly long." Although there's a "strong possibility" Season 3 will exceed Season 2's episode count, Mazin confirmed "the story simply cannot conclude within three seasons." Both Mazin and Neil Druckmann additionally disclosed their uncertainty regarding the screen time allocation for certain beloved characters moving forward.