Isabela Merced Discusses Working With Bella Ramsey On "The Last Of Us" And How She Feels They Are Creating An "Iconic Sapphic Television Story"
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It's no secret that The Last of Us was one of the biggest and most talked about TV shows of 2023. Starring Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, the series beautifully brought to life the heartbreaking and beloved video game of the same name.
Created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, the series perfectly brought Ellie and Joel's story from The Last of Us Part 1 and Left Behind DLC video games to life, with casting, set design, visual effects, and more.
The Last of Us Season 1 also went on to win numerous awards, including Emmy Awards for Nick Offerman and Storm Reid, who guest-starred on the series as Bill and Riley.
With Season 1 detailing the events that happen in the first game, Season 2 will now venture into what happens in The Last of Us Part II, an even more harrowing and heartbreaking journey for Ellie and Joel as they deal with the fallout from their journey to the Fireflies in hopes of creating a cure.
Unlike Season 1, which told the entire story from the first game, showrunners Mazin and Druckmann have hinted that The Last of Us Part II will need multiple seasons. Mazin also said they won't reveal "how many" seasons they would need to tell the complete story.
With filming currently taking place, the cast for the new season has slowly been announced, with even more incredible actors joining Pedro, Bella, and more to tell this next part of the story.
Alongside Kaitlyn Dever's casting as Abby, the other crucial piece of casting fans could not wait for was Dina, who is a member of the Jackson community and Ellie's love interest.
Isabela Merced will step into the role of Dina when Season 2 premieres, and she's previously starred in movies like Madame Web, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and more.
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She can also be seen in the upcoming Alien: Romulus and James Gunn's Superman: Legacy.
And while everything involving The Last of Us is pretty secretive, especially for the beginning of Season 2 (IYKYK), Isabela teased what fans can expect while chatting with BuzzFeed for her new movie Turtles All the Way Down.
"Bella and I never did a chemistry read. Bella and I never met before we went into The Last of Us, so it was a big risk. And we were aware of that," Isabela told BuzzFeed when asked about what it has been like working with Bella so far.
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She also said she's just amazed at the chemistry the entire cast of The Last of Us has and how they all get along so well.
She added, "Everyone's like a gem of a human being, and we all get along really well. It's just really impressive to me."
She continued, saying, "But ever since watching the first season, I knew I was in good hands with Bella. Bella's extremely charming, extremely personable, a natural actor. So believable. Like, even if I sucked as an actor, you're working with someone like that. It's hard to look bad. I'm really excited."
Isabela added, "I'm never alone. I'm always with Bella. Bella and I goof off, and we just have a lovely, lovely time."
While fans of the video game can anticipate and speculate which key moments will make it into Season 2, Isabela was able to tease one Ellie and Dina moment they just filmed that she cannot wait for fans to see.
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"It's really, really exciting. There's a scene in particular that I think is going to be on everyone's Twitter feed," she said.
As a fan of the video game, based on the timeline, I think it might be the smoking weed scene or even the dance because, well, again, if you know, you know.
Isabela continued, telling BuzzFeed, "Personally, in my opinion, and from what we've heard from like the studio and Craig and stuff, I feel like this could potentially be, like, an iconic sapphic television story."
Another thing Isabela said she's enjoying on The Last of Us set is how collaborative everything is. "I really feel like I am heard, and I trust the people that I'm working with," Isabela began.
"Like Craig Mazin, he's able to see so many perspectives, and he oversees everything. He's always on set, and on top of that, we have really, really amazing directors. I'm currently working with Peter Hoar, who worked on the first season as well. I worked with Mark Mylod, too. Like very, VERY incredible people."
Peter previously directed "Long, Long Time" in Season 1.
Meanwhile, Mark is known for directing several episodes of Succession, most notably "Connor's Wedding" and the series finale.
Honestly, all of this is just making me even more excited for Season 2. Like, I'm someone who loved The Last of Us Part II even more than Part I, so I am grabbing tissues, hydrating, and preparing to be wrecked when it all comes to life in the TV show.
You can read more from BuzzFeed's full interview with Isabela HERE.
Are you excited for The Last of Us Season 2? Tell us everything in the comments below.
If you are unspoiled on what happens in The Last of Us Part II, I might suggest avoiding the comments. There could be massive spoilers.
