The Last of Us season 2 announced the additions of six actors to its supporting cast.
Per Variety, one of those actors is Joe Pantoliano, the Emmy Award winner best known for portraying Ralphie Cifaretto on The Sopranos. Pantoliano, aka Joey Pants, will play Eugene, a minor character from the video game. Players never meet Eugene, but they see his picture when Ellie and Dina come to his cannabis lab.
In an interview with Variety, The Last of Us co-creator and executive producer Neil Druckmann explained that he gets excited by opportunities to expand on the minor characters’ stories.
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“I’m like, ‘Oh, I don’t know Eugene that well,’” Druckmann said. “The story we told [in the game] was somewhat superficial. The way this character comes in really gets to the heart of Joel and Ellie and their relationship.”
In addition to Pantoliano, Alanna Ubach, Ben Ahlers, Hettienne Park, Robert John Burke, and Noah Lamanna have joined the second season’s cast. Burke will play Seth, the manager of a bar in the Jackson community. Lamanna will play Kat, a girl who dated Ellie before the events of The Last of Us Part II. Ubach, Ahlers, and Park will star in original roles for the series.
Set five years after the events of season 1, The Last of Us season 2 is headlined by Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. Gabriel Luna and Rutina Wesley will also reprise their roles as Tommy and Maria, respectively.
The biggest addition to the season 2 cast is Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, who will play a pivotal role in the futures of Joel and Ellie. Other season 2 cast members include Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, Jeffrey Wright as Isaac, and Catherine O’Hara in a guest-starring role. Danny Ramirez as Manny, Jeffrey Wright as Isaac, and Catherine O’Hara in a guest-starring role.
The Last of Us season 2 premieres at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 13. Watch the show on HBO or stream it on Max.