A report revealed who will portray Abby’s main companions in Season 3 of HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation, but the casting of one of these characters is raising questions and debates.
Per Deadline, Michelle Mao will play Yara, and Kyriana Kratter is set to portray her younger brother, Lev. As in the game, Lev will be depicted in the television show as a 13-year-old transgender boy. Kratter, who is 15 and played breakout character KB in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, is understood to be cisgender.
While there is no doubt about Kratter’s acting skills, the casting decision has attracted criticism online. Naughty Dog cast transgender actor Ian Alexander as Lev in The Last of Us Part II, but HBO and the show’s production team did not cast a trans actor in the role despite holding what Deadline described as an “inclusive casting call” with “young actors of different backgrounds auditioning.” Naughty Dog boss and previous co-showrunner of the HBO show, Neil Druckmann, is not involved in the production of Season 3.
It’s exciting to see new casting choices for Season 3 of The Last of Us! The dynamics between characters can really shape the story, so it’ll be interesting to see how these new actors bring their roles to life. Looking forward to the upcoming season!