"The Last of Us Season 2 Adds Six New Cast Members Before April Premiere"

HBO’s *The Last of Us* Season 2 is rounding out its cast with six new actors joining the series ahead of its April premiere. According to the latest report from Variety, these additions will bring both familiar faces from the game and brand-new characters into the fold.

The newly announced cast includes seasoned performers such as Joe Pantoliano (Memento, The Matrix), Alanna Ubach (Euphoria, Bombshell), Ben Ahlers (The Gilded Age, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Hettienne Park (Don’t Look Up), Robert John Burke (RoboCop 3), and Noah Lamanna (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds).

These late-stage casting choices indicate how the show will go beyond what was originally seen in *The Last of Us Part II*, expanding on existing characters while introducing new ones. For example, Joe Pantoliano will portray Eugene, a character briefly mentioned in the game as Ellie and Dina’s cannabis-loving friend. While he only appeared fleetingly in the original title, Season 2 promises to give him a more meaningful role.

Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann shared their thoughts with Variety, explaining that much like Bill’s expanded arc in Season 1, Eugene’s story will be deepened for the screen. “I get excited when I see these opportunities,” Druckmann noted. “I’m like, ‘Oh, I don’t know Eugene that well!’ 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.”

Robert John Burke has been cast as Seth, the antagonistic bar owner who plays a small but memorable role in *Part II*. Meanwhile, Noah Lamanna steps into the role of Kat, a former love interest of Ellie’s prior to the events of the sequel.

Alanna Ubach, Ben Ahlers, and Hettienne Park are set to portray entirely new characters named Hanrahan, Burton, and Elise Park, respectively—hinting at fresh narrative threads not present in the source material.

This wave of new talent joins an already stellar ensemble cast featuring Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Isabela Merced as Dina, Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, and Gabriel Luna as Tommy. As previously teased by the creators, the story of *Part II* may unfold across multiple seasons—meaning there’s still plenty more to come as the season progresses.

The Last of Us Season 2 will debut its take on *The Last of Us Part II* on April 13. If you’re curious about the long-term vision for the series, check out why it appears HBO is planning to stretch the *Part II* narrative over four seasons. Also, don’t miss Neil Druckmann’s comments on how Season 2 will include some “pretty brutal” content cut from the original video game version.