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[Draugoth]

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“We value performance over anything else,”

Druckmann said to Entertainment Weekly.

“We need someone to really capture the essence of those characters…. We don’t value as much, ‘Do they look exactly like the character with their eyebrows or their nose or their body?’ Whatever it is. It’s not nowhere on the priority list, but it’s below a bunch of other things that we consider.”

Druckmann claims that part of the reason for Abby’s physique in the game is that when playing as Abby in The Last of Us Part 2, she’s supposed to be more akin to playing as Joel, whereas Ellie was supposed to feel weaker, but much more agile.

“We would’ve struggled to find someone as good as Kaitlyn to play this role,”

Druckmann explains.

“In the game, you have to play both characters [Ellie and Abby] and we need them to play differently. We needed Ellie to feel smaller and kind of maneuver around, and Abby was meant to play more like Joel in that she’s almost like a brute in the way she can physically manhandle certain things.

“That doesn’t play as big of a role in this version of the story because there’s not as much violent action moment to moment. It’s more about the drama. I’m not saying there’s no action here. It’s just, again, different priorities and how you approach it.”

 

[Sebastian1295]

I didn't like the last of us 2's story for one reason and one alone and it's because we didn't get to kill abby at the end of the game. After she essentially destroyed tommy's life as well as took joel's i wanted her dead and when ellie spared her i was pissed off. It went against ellies motivation throughout the entire game which was revenge. She wanted revenge for joel and she should've wanted revenge for tommy too, but she just decides at the last minute naaa screw this you get to live. It ruined the story for me.

 

[Badlucktroll]

 

[VulcanRaven]

Makes sense. Also maybe the actor didn't have enough time or didn't want get in shape close that.

 

[killatopak]

we got people playing superheroes doing insane transformation for those roles. this is a copout.

 

[SimTourist]

No budget for steroids

 

[Thebonehead]

They had to because the only person able to play that role is dead.

 

[saintjules]

I didn't like the last of us 2's story for one reason and one alone and it's because we didn't get to kill abby at the end of the game. After she essentially destroyed tommy's life as well as took joel's i wanted her dead and when ellie spared her i was pissed off. It went against ellies motivation throughout the entire game which was revenge. She wanted revenge for joel and she should've wanted revenge for tommy too, but she just decides at the last minute naaa screw this you get to live. It ruined the story for me.

 

[th4tguy]

I didn't like the last of us 2's story for one reason though and one alone however and it's because we didn't get to kill abby at the end of the game. After she essentially destroyed tommy's life as well as took joel's i wanted her dead and when ellie spared her i was pissed off.

But that was the whole point of the story. How endless retaliation would only wind up with everyone dead. No one is happy or better off at the end of that game. It’s a depressing setup and really drives home what message it was trying to deliver. Continuing down the path they both chose would only result in the end of any happiness they could obtain/ retain.
The ending to the first game was the same. It’s not a happy moment. Ending with Ellie obviously not believing Joel’s story about what happened and it throwing her whole foundation askew for who she believed Joel to be.
We see how that ultimately played out in the 2nd game. Their relationship is extremely strained and she has distanced herself from him because of the betrayal of trust.

 

[Sebastian1295]

 

[diffusionx]

Because they wanted to cast a female as Abby and females don't look like xe does in the game.

 

[Gonzito]

Hypocrite

 

[Sebastian1295]

But that was the whole point of the story. How endless retaliation would only wind up with everyone dead. No one is happy or better off at the end of that game. It’s a depressing setup and really drives home what message it was trying to deliver. Continuing down the path they both chose would only result in the end of any happiness they could obtain/ retain.
The ending to the first game was the same. It’s not a happy moment. Ending with Ellie obviously not believing Joel’s story about what happened and it throwing her whole foundation askew for who she believed Joel to be.
We see how that ultimately played out in the 2nd game. Their relationship is extremely strained and she has distanced herself from him because of the betrayal of trust.

But everyone in the game ends up dead because ellie is killing them off and leaving bodies in her wake until literally at the last possible moment she decides to not kill abby. She even gives up her relationship with dina and the baby to go kill abby at the end and still dosen't do it. It just didn't connect with me at all and it was terrible to me personally.

 

[Metnut]

TV isn’t like video games. They generally try and make adult female characters (at least slightly) more attractive rather than intentionally making them uglier.

What a crazy concept.

 

[Holammer]

The actress did not have the guts & work ethic of Chris Pratt.

 

[ssringo]

 

[Pandawan]

Last of Us showrunners explain why Abby isn’t muscular in season 2

Because they would have to feed her all their supplies and starve the entire camp for her to get that pumped up.

 

[Edder1]

Because women like that only exist at bodybuilding competitions or in Neil's twisted fantasy. And let's be real, no actress is gonna make herself look like that, especially not when you getting paid tv show money.

 

[SJRB]

Because without "help" that girl had to be in the gym for two years to get even remotely as yoked as Abby was in the game.

Which makes the fact that Abby was this yoked in the game dumb as fuck, once again.

 

[Sleepwalker]

The in game justification by Neil is funny. Should have made a male character then, maybe?

 

[Three]

Cammy in street fighter

Cammy in street fighter movie

Who gives a shit? Discussions surrounding games have become about the most mundane stupid clickbait/outrage culture nonsense I've ever seen.

 

[Bernardougf]

Because HBO want people to see a third season

 

[VulcanRaven]

Hypocrite

Why?

 

[Gamezone]

Or because they wanted a good woman actor, and not Arnold Schwarzenegger to cast the role.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Makes sense. Also maybe the actor didn't have enough time or didn't want get in shape close that.

This. It's just a level-headed decision.

What's funny is that this is going to trigger mostly the same people that were triggered by a buff Abby.

 

[rabbity-thing]

I didn't like the last of us 2's story for one reason and one alone and it's because we didn't get to kill abby at the end of the game. After she essentially destroyed tommy's life as well as took joel's i wanted her dead and when ellie spared her i was pissed off. It went against ellies motivation throughout the entire game which was revenge. She wanted revenge for joel and she should've wanted revenge for tommy too, but she just decides at the last minute naaa screw this you get to live. It ruined the story for me.

Abby's whole miserable existence is a response to tragedy and her desire to find vengeance. Abby's journey for vengeance is very much mirrored by Ellie. By the point that Ellie walks away from her thirst for murder, she has already lost everything she cared about in pursuit of her vengeful quest. Moreover, the Abby that she finds is no longer the Abby that took Joel from her. Whatever punishment she wanted Abby to suffer, she has already received at the hands of others.

Ellie is able to break the cycle and it's part of what makes her still such a great character. Ellie walks away, but it's clear she has yet to forgive.

Also, the showrunners have officially lost me. Abby's physical transformation is key to understanding who Abby is. Think of Sarah Conner in T2. Her physicality is a reflection of how her life has hardened her. For the showrunners to not see the importance of this is stupid and possibly cowardly. Lastly, it will take away from the strength of TLOU2's most affecting scene. Where you think you see Abby but it's misdirection because she has been stripped of her strength. Those muscles sell the scene and give it impact.

What a fricken easily avoidable self-own. Druckman, man, I've had your back for so long over Abby's depiction and now you go and make yourself look as stupid as everyone said you were.

 

[Embearded]

I didn't like the last of us 2's story for one reason and one alone and it's because we didn't get to kill abby at the end of the game. After she essentially destroyed tommy's life as well as took joel's i wanted her dead and when ellie spared her i was pissed off. It went against ellies motivation throughout the entire game which was revenge. She wanted revenge for joel and she should've wanted revenge for tommy too, but she just decides at the last minute naaa screw this you get to live. It ruined the story for me.

That's what elevated the game for me.
And when she goes back to her place, only to find it empty, then tries to play guitar which is the only connection left to Joel and she can't because of the missing fingers, is the absolute peak of the story.

Both Ellie and Abby put revenge above everything else.
They lost everything, including themselves.

 

[EN250]

5'2 girl actress won't commit to mass bulking and John Cena wasn't available for the role, now we'll have to pretend this tiny girl will somehow beat the fuck outta Pedro Pascal which is like 5'11 or something

 

[ReBurn]

Cammy in street fighter

Cammy in street fighter movie

Who gives a shit? Discussions surrounding games have become about the most mundane stupid clickbait/outrage culture nonsense I've ever seen.

The Street Fighter movie ended up being a parody of Street Fighter, which was sad but not completely unexpected.

 

[Melfice7]

it's almost as if a woman in a post apocalyptic world would feel out of place looking like videogame abby, blah blah they had a gym in the stadium, thats not enough

 

[FingerBang]

But that was the whole point of the story. How endless retaliation would only wind up with everyone dead. No one is happy or better off at the end of that game. It’s a depressing setup and really drives home what message it was trying to deliver. Continuing down the path they both chose would only result in the end of any happiness they could obtain/ retain.
The ending to the first game was the same. It’s not a happy moment. Ending with Ellie obviously not believing Joel’s story about what happened and it throwing her whole foundation askew for who she believed Joel to be.
We see how that ultimately played out in the 2nd game. Their relationship is extremely strained and she has distanced herself from him because of the betrayal of trust.

It's insane how after so many years people are still missing the point. It's not even subtle.

The game was a long, painful journey. It really worked for me. Yes, I would rework some of the pandering stuff, but nothing hit me that hard since.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

In cartoons or videogames, the suspension of disbelief is more relaxed than in a movie or TV show. You can't have a tiny girl like Ellie fighting the original Abby. It would look stupid; that combat would last five seconds.

The skill set of the new Abby must change, as well as the story (she can't meet Joel the same way either). I expect more changes to tackle some of the many plot holes TLOU 2 has. For example, Abby shouldn't know that Ellie has the cure in her veins or else she would never let her go. Her dad was killed because of that, as Ellie herself says. What happens after is among the dumbest shit I have ever seen, but we let it go because it's a videogame. I have no problem with Joel's death but that scene, after the first Ellie-Abby fight, lost me completely. The redemption arcs need amendments in the series.

 

[llLeonhart]

I didn't like the last of us 2's story for one reason and one alone and it's because we didn't get to kill abby at the end of the game. After she essentially destroyed tommy's life as well as took joel's i wanted her dead and when ellie spared her i was pissed off. It went against ellies motivation throughout the entire game which was revenge. She wanted revenge for joel and she should've wanted revenge for tommy too, but she just decides at the last minute naaa screw this you get to live. It ruined the story for me.

This pisses me off to no end. They’ll kill half the population only to spare the sworn enemy. Cmon, man 1 more body, you’ve killed thousands already.

 

[Jinzo Prime]

It's insane how after so many years people are still missing the point. It's not even subtle.

The game was a long, painful journey. It really worked for me. Yes, I would rework some of the pandering stuff, but nothing hit me that hard since.

Everybody knows what the point of the story is, we just think it's stupid.

 

[Gonzito]

Why?

If you really need to ask me this question, then you are not ready to hear the answer

 

[Fake]

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

This pisses me off to no end. They’ll kill half the population only to spare the sworn enemy. Cmon, man 1 more body, you’ve killed thousands already.

I might believe that Ellie would spare Abby's life, but I can't believe Abby did that at the theatre, with her blood boiling after the killing of Owen and the others. On top of that, Ellie tells her she has the cure and Abby's reaction is to walk away. it's hard to describe how stupid that is.

 

[Schmendrick]

so basically:
In the game Abby had to look and play like a dude to be a counterweight to Ellie.
Now wouldn`t it have been easier and much less stupid overall to just make her male from the start instead of using a male model and painting a female...-ish face on that?

Well that clownshow certainly fit the utterly retarded writing.......

 

[nowhat]

And when she goes back to her place, only to find it empty, then tries to play guitar which is the only connection left to Joel and she can't because of the missing fingers, is the absolute peak of the story.

From a narrative POV, I agree (even if I have some, although not nearly as many as others, issues with the story in general). Just that - the whole biting off the fingers thing, it would require both some excellent dental work (not likely thanks to the zombie apocalypse and all) and a lucky spot to bite in. So, that particular moment wasn't so believable.

....OTOH, it's a fucking video game. We don't seem to question the gripping power of Nathan Drake's fingertips, so fuck it. Narrative-wise, it's a very good ending.

 

[Zacfoldor]

Ellie in the show looks like a 10 year old child.

They could not have her fighting butch body builder Abby and convincingly pretend she stood a chance of winning even with every advantage in the world.

Also, keeping Abby from being a butch finally makes the story make sense. Many more people with sympathize with Abby now that she looks like a girl. People will actually care about her instead of hating her like we did in the game.

If they made the show just like they made the game, way more than half of people would just hate it too. Now, instead, they have decided to fix it under the guise of "we value performance first." LOLOL you really think no butch woman could act better than this chick? Of course they could, but it just makes Abby much more relatable when she isn't some SJW dreamt up god of women's wrestling from the WWE on steroids.

Don't worry for the snowflakes, I'm sure Lev will be a 1:1 recreation. Lev is meaningless to the story anyway. Just a plot device.

 

[N0S]

#notmyabby

 

[willothedog]

TV isn’t like video games. They generally try and make adult female characters (at least slightly) more attractive rather than intentionally making them uglier.

What a crazy concept.

Explain Ellie. When Bella Ramsey fell out of the ugly tree she hit every branch on the way down.

 

[Killer8]

The budget is probably high enough already without having to feed this girl thousands of calories per day and a boatload of tren.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

I agree with their logic. Performance is more important than visual resemblance to a video game character. I mean, Bella as Ellie is already an example of that. They already have a mini-Ellie.

 

[GymWolf]

Being buff is definitely part of her character tho, drunkman is slipping on his own piss.

Not that i had any faith in his bullshit when they casted that forehead monstrosity.

 

[Ramiro_Rodriguez]

They had to because the only person able to play that role is dead.

We got a new Chyna

Her wwe name is Rhea Ripley

 

[Cyborg]

I do think this was the way.....

 

[Ulysses 31]

I might believe that Ellie would spare Abby's life, but I can't believe Abby did that at the theatre, with her blood boiling after the killing of Owen and the others. On top of that, Ellie tells her she has the cure and Abby's reaction is to walk away. it's hard to describe how stupid that is.

Didn't Abby try to shoot Ellie before Tommy stepped in? Seemed like she didn't care about the cure anymore before the fight.

 

[VulcanRaven]

so basically:
In the game Abby had to look and play like a dude to be a counterweight to Ellie.
Now wouldn`t it have been easier and much less stupid overall to just make her male from the start instead of using a male model and painting a female...-ish face on that?

Well that clownshow certainly fit the utterly retarded writing.......

She doesn't look like a dude in the game.

 

[EviLore]

Actresses don’t want to go on hardcore steroids and have permanent masculinization side effects, news at 11