Bella Ramsey praises The Last of Us season 2's "excellent" new cast – and reveals the awkward first meeting with Abby actor Kaitlyn Dever

(Image credit: HBO)

Ellie actor Bella Ramsey has revealed their reaction to the major newcomers in The Last of Us season 2 – including their first meeting with Abby actor Kaitlyn Dever.

"I’m incredibly happy with who has been cast," Ramsey tells GamesRadar+ during an interview for their short film Villain, directed by Sparky Tehnsuko.

"It’s exciting for me. I’m happy to have a whole new bunch of people come and join the family. It’s gonna be a lot of fun."

It’s Dever’s Abby, should it follow the source material, who is on a collision course with Ellie in The Last of Us season 2. To put it mildly, it’s one that’s hotly anticipated by fans.

"I’ve met Kaitlyn once in the most stupid place [at] a gala," Ramsey says of Dever, who was once touted to play Ellie in a Last of Us movie many moons ago.

"I met Kaitlyn there very briefly when we were waiting for our cars. I knew they were talking to her about casting at that point, so it was just sort of quietly like ‘Hey’ and shared numbers and stuff."

Ramsey adds of the castings: "She’s excellent, Isabel and Young as well, I’m really excited to get going with all of them."

The Last of Us season 2 is set to begin filming imminently, with several new directors announced – including Loki’s Kate Herron. The HBO series is set to return in 2025.

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.