The Last of Us season 2 star praises Kaitlyn Dever and talks the first day of filming: "We kind of ate"

The Last of Us season 2 star Isabela Merced has talked about her first day of filming – and praised co-star Kaitlyn Dever. 

Merced is playing Dina, the love interest of Bella Ramsey's Ellie, in the second season of the video game adaptation. 

"Kaitlyn is right up there with, like, one of the most talented actors I've ever worked with," Merced told Deadline. "My experience has been very little, however we've had one day of shooting for me as Dina. And, I gotta say, we kind of ate."

The Madame Web star also has high praise for series co-creator Craig Mazin. "I was a huge fan of the second game, I played it in, like, one weekend," Merced added. "And then I wondered, how is this going to translate onto TV? And Craig Mazin is one of the most brilliant people – actually, I think, a genius. I'm sure if they did the test, they would find out that it's true. And he just has a way of bringing these characters to life that no one could ever just come up with in such a short amount of time. I love him. He's amazing."

Dever is playing Abby in The Last of Us season 2, who is one of the co-protagonists of the second game. 

"I've met Kaitlyn once in the most stupid place [at] a gala," Ramsey told us of their first meeting with Dever. "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."

The Last of Us season 2 is set to debut in 2025. While you wait, check out our guide to all the most exciting new TV shows that are on the way.