The Last of Us' CGI for Kaitlyn Dever Explained

There's been a lot of buzz about Abby's arrival in The Last of Us Season 2, but few anticipated that Kaitlyn Dever would require CGI to cover up a spider bite on her face.
That's exactly what happened, though. Speaking with the Los Angeles Times about filming the hit series, Dever revealed that during one of her early episodes with the Fireflies, the production team had to conceal an "oozing" bite mark she got while on a break.
"It’s in the first episode with the Fireflies," Dever explained. "I went home for a few weeks and ended up with a spider bite on my cheek. At first, I thought it was just a pimple, but it definitely wasn’t.
"It was a large spider bite and... I hate to use this word, but it was oozing," she continued. "The CGI work is incredible—you can’t even tell it was there. I still have a scar on my face because they had to remove it."
Dever also shared how she channeled her emotions into that pivotal scene. Tragically, her mother had passed away from cancer, and the funeral took place just four days before she filmed the intense, emotional moment with Joel and Ellie.
"I had to travel three days after the funeral," Dever said. "And on the fourth day, we shot the chalet scene with the Fireflies. It’s all a bit hazy now, but it felt like I experienced it as a first-time viewer. Grief does something fascinating to your mind—it really affects your memory."
HBO has celebrated the success of The Last of Us Season 2, noting that a surge in viewership has boosted the series' global audience to over 90 million since Season 1 concluded. In the U.S., the Season 2 finale drew 3.7 million cross-platform viewers on Sunday night. While the Season 2 premiere attracted 5.3 million viewers—showing a drop from start to finish—Warner Bros. expects the finale's numbers to rise "significantly" due to lower viewership over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
It's also worth noting that the Season 1 finale set a record with 8.2 million viewers, so the Season 2 finale still has ground to cover to surpass that milestone.
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Last week, showrunner Craig Mazin hinted that a fourth season is practically essential for the series. In an interview, Mazin acknowledged that wrapping up The Last of Us’ story from the two Naughty Dog games in just Season 3 would mean the season "would take forever." So, while there's a "decent chance" Season 3 will be longer than Season 2, he emphasized that "there’s no way to complete this narrative in a third season." Mazin and Neil Druckmann also revealed a small secret: they haven't yet determined "how much, or how little," some of our favorite characters will appear.
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