Isabela Merced teases chemistry with Bella Ramsey on 'The Last of Us'

As production on the second season of The Last of Us gets underway, fans are hopeful that more tidbits about what’s to come for the HBO hit will keep on coming. And Isabela Merced, who is joining up as a key character for the next installment, is kicking things off.

The Madame Web star recently chatted with ET about some of her upcoming work, including the fact that she had completed a single day on set for the video game adaptation at the time of the interview.

“I’m beyond, I already did one day of shooting, it was technically day 0, but the chemistry that Bella [Ramsey] and I have is so so palpable and it’s really nice to be able to work with someone like that,” she said.

For those catching up to the news, Merced was announced as Dina, the love of interest of Ellie (Ramsey) in the game. The second season of the TV adaptation is expected to follow the storyline of The Last of Us Part II pretty faithfully, with Dina still serving as that counterpart to Ellie.

Merced previously spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about being up for the role, admitting that she played all of Part II in one weekend so she would be knowledgeable about what she was getting into.

“So I have a very unhealthy obsession with video games, and I told myself I wouldn’t get a PS5. But when I heard this ominous call about how the [Last of Us] creators wanted to meet with me, I was like, ‘Okay, I have to play the game first,’” she said. “I had already watched the show, and so I went to my friend’s house and I played it all in one weekend on the PS5. It was amazing.”

Kaitlyn Dever and Young Mazino have also been announced as cast members for season two, with Catherine O’Hara appearing in a guest starring role. New episodes are expected to premiere sometime in 2025.