Laura Bailey discusses her controversial role in The Last of Us Part 2, the emotional drudgery she experienced and her own reaction to the character.
As with other Naughty Dog games, The Last of Us Part 2 has some of the most beautifully written and developed characters in its history. From 2013 The last of us, the players reunited with Ellie and Joel once again. Along with familiar faces, several new characters have also been introduced to Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic world. While NPCs Dina and Jesse were widely welcomed, one character shared the internet in a way that had never been heard. Abby Anderson, a Firefly on her own personal journey, became the poster girl for hate and abuse for fans, after her pivotal role in the controversial plot TLOU2.
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Laura Bailey, the actress behind TLOU2Abby Anderson, talked about her divisive role. In an interview with Game Informer, Bailey admits that “knew that she would receive some hatred“And that there would be”day offFor her character’s actions, although she claims she didn’t expect the reactions to be so extreme (Bailey received death threats for her role). Despite the reception of the players, Bailey says that Abby is one of the “most amazing characters“That she already played. She believes that if the game’s plot hadn’t leaked months before the release of TLOU2, the reaction to her character might not have been so volatile. Bailey feels that the leaks meant that players had months of “forming barriers and forming walls before they are able to understand Abby”.
Bailey has since gone on to play The Last of Us Part 2 herself, and can empathize with fans. When playing Abby in “Day One”, Bailey said he didn’t like his character, or the way she portrayed Abby, admitting that she questioned “because she was climbed”. Fortunately, her husband soon calmed down those negative thoughts and Bailey went on to “acclimate”For Abby. Speaking of his part in the game, Bailey says he took home much of the negative energy from work. “It’s very difficult after filming scenes that are too heavy in loss and sadness to get rid of it at the end of the day … These emotions stay with you“she says. As such, her favorite scenes to shoot were the flashback scenes with Owen, or those that developed Abby’s relationship with Lev and Yara;” (the game) needs those happy moments”.
Although TLOU2’s memories are bittersweet for Bailey, due to the abuse she received, she is proud of her role. Most recently, Bailey received the award for Best Artist at The Game Awards for her role as Abby.
There is no word from Naughty Dog about whether a third installment The last of us series will be produced. After Abby left for a new future at the climatic end of TLOU2, there is certainly room for one. If one comes up, I hope Abby Anderson has a chance to be more readily received by fans.
TLOU2 is now available for PlayStation 4.
Source: Game Informer
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