Neil Druckmann wasn't going to cast Laura Bailey in The Last of Us Part 2 because 'she's in everything,' but changed his mind after studying her audition 'frame-by-frame'

Druckmann says he overturned his instincts after closely reviewing video of the auditions.

Laura Bailey is one of those prolific videogame actors whose voice you’ve probably heard whether or not you’ve heard her name. A few of Bailey’s recent credits include Marvel Rivals, World of Warcraft: The War Within, and Spider-Man 2. For that reason, Naughty Dog studio head Neil Druckmann says the developer almost didn’t cast Bailey as Abby in The Last of Us Part 2, but a single moment from her audition changed his mind

Druckmann mentioned the casting process in a talk with Santa Monica Studio creative director Cory Barlog (God of War) on Wednesday at the D.I.C.E. Summit, an annual industry get-together put on by The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

While watching the auditions live, Druckmann said he “was sure it was going to be a different actor.” After later studying the audition videos “frame-by-frame,” however, he began insisting on Bailey for the part even though the consensus at the studio had been that she wasn’t right for it because “she’s in everything.” That includes Druckmann’s previous project, Uncharted 4.

In one moment, studied carefully, Bailey showed a “vulnerability” that none of the other actors had, Druckmann said. He played the video back to others at the studio, and they were convinced.

For her performance as Abby, Bailey won a Game Award and a BAFTA Award, and was nominated for a D.I.C.E. Award. She also made a cameo in the HBO show based on the game. Actor Kaitlyn Dever will be playing the live-action version of Abby in the show’s upcoming second season.

The Last of Us Part 2’s story and characters, particularly Abby, also led to online threats and harassment directed at Bailey and others involved with the game.

The story of Bailey’s casting was a brief anecdote in a larger conversation about creative decision-making—an example of a situation in which Druckmann went against his first instincts after careful examination. Barlog described a much more metaphysical process in which the right decisions “just feel correct” and appear to him as a “sort of sine wave vibration.”

The Last of Us Part 2 originally released on PlayStation in 2020, and a remastered version will be out on Steam this April.