The Last of Us' Ashley Johnson shares her reaction to the season 2 backlash: "Sometimes that passion feels really great, and sometimes it feels not great"

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Original Ellie actor Ashley Johnson says she's "happy" to be a part of HBO's The Last of Us

Ashley Johnson as Anna in The Last of Us
(Image credit: HBO)

The Last of Us actor Ashley Johnson, who surprised fans when she cameoed as Ellie's ill-fated mom Anna in the HBO TV show, says she "understands" the backlash to season 2 – but that "sometimes it feels not great" when players' passion for the games inspires such intense negativity.

When asked by The Direct about the response to the second chapter, Johnson, who brings Ellie to life in both Naughty Dog's The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II, said: "Yeah, I feel like with The Last of Us, people really love that story, including me, and it's very, very passionate fans. And sometimes that passion feels really great, and sometimes it feels not great. But you know, I understand it. I understand loving something so much, and wanting it to be what you want it to be."

While The Last of Us season 1 followed the source material pretty faithfully, season 2 took more creative swings – deviating from the games in regards to its structure, pacing, and diluting Ellie's quest for revenge. It said goodbye to Pedro Pascal's Joel, too, of course, which will have shocked viewers who aren't familiar with the games.

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Amy West
Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

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