The Last of Us season 2 star Isabela Merced (Dina) has "palpable" chemistry with Bella Ramsey

HBO's live-action adaptation of Naughty Dog's video game The Last of Us was a huge success when it premiered a year ago. It was promptly renewed for a second season after just three episodes had aired. Now, after myriad delays including the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes of 2023, the production is up and running again, as the show moves onto adapting the events of The Last of Us: Part II.

The Last of Us: Part II is a much bigger video game, in terms of both scale and length. The story incorporates a whole new cast of characters, including Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), Jesse (Young Mazino), and, of course, Isabela Merced as Ellie's girlfriend Dina.

Merced recently discussed joining the series as fan-favorite Dina. Turns out, she's already spent some time on set and build up some excellent chemistry with co-star Bella Ramsey. "I already did one day of shooting--it was technically day zero--but the chemistry that Bella and I have is so palpable. It's really nice to be able to work with someone like that," she told ET.

She further spoke about her time geeking out with the team on 'Day Zero,' the day before shooting officially commences. “That was just me and Bella [Ramsey] the whole day, and then Craig Mazin was directing," she said, per Variety. "He is phenomenal. I am a huge fan. Like, we geek out about a lot of things. I taught them how to play spades. We had just the best time."

Isabela Merced is currently going through the busiest moment of her career. She's in Marvel's Madame Web, which is currently in theatres. She'll also appear as Hawkgirl in James Gunn's rebooted and revived DC Universe, beginning with Superman: Legacy.

While The Last of Us season 2 is currently in production, don't expect it to premiere anytime soon. Season 2 is expected to release sometime in 2025. In the meantime, The Last of Us season 1 is streaming on HBO Max.

HBO casts actors to play Owen, Mel and other characters from The Last of Us Part II

We've met several actors who will be playing friends of Ellie. In The Last of Us Part II, Ellie is set against Abby Anderson, who has her own set of friends. HBO recently revealed who's playing a bunch of them:

• Spencer Lord as Owen
• Ariela Barer as Mel
• Danny Ramirez as Manny
• Tati Gabrielle as Nora

If you've played the game, you know who these characters are, but to avoid SPOILERS that they'll all people living with a group of survivors that we haven't met yet. We'll get to know them whenever new episodes start to drop.

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