CGI Used on Abby Actor Kaitlyn Dever in The Last of Us: Here's Why

If you’ve been following the latest buzz around The Last of Us Season 2, you may have heard a lot about Abby’s introduction. But one detail no one saw coming? Actress Kaitlyn Dever had to undergo facial CGI work due to a rather unsettling spider bite.

As it turns out, this wasn’t just a minor inconvenience—it was a full-on production hurdle. During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Dever revealed that during a break in filming, she suffered a severe spider bite on her cheek that was initially mistaken for a pimple. Unfortunately, it turned into something far more dramatic.

“It’s in the first episode with the Fireflies,” Dever explained. “I had gone home for a few weeks and got a spider bite on my cheek. I thought it was a pimple. It was not a pimple. It was a huge spider bite and... I hate to use this word, but it was oozing.”

Thanks to top-notch CGI work, the wound was digitally erased from the final footage. Still, Dever ended up with a permanent scar from the real-life injury.

Beyond the physical challenges, Dever also opened up about how personal grief helped fuel one of the most emotionally intense scenes in the season—her explosive confrontation with Joel and Ellie. Tragically, Dever lost her mother to cancer shortly before filming that pivotal moment.

“I had to fly out three days after her funeral,” she shared. “And the fourth day was that scene in the chalet with the Fireflies. So, yeah, it’s all a blur, and it felt like I got to experience it as a first-time viewer. I’d see things and go, ‘Oh, yeah. Grief does a really interesting thing with your brain. It messes with your memory.’”

Meanwhile, HBO has continued to celebrate the massive success of The Last of Us. Following the release of Season 2, the series has attracted over 90 million viewers worldwide since Season 1 concluded. In the U.S., the Season 2 finale pulled in 3.7 million cross-platform viewers, while the premiere drew 5.3 million. Though there was a dip from the opening to the closing episode, Warner Bros. anticipates a significant increase in the finale's numbers once holiday-related viewing data is fully accounted for—especially considering Memorial Day weekend’s historically lower engagement.

For context, the Season 1 finale reached a record-breaking 8.2 million viewers, a number that Season 2 still has yet to match.

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Looking ahead, showrunner Craig Mazin has hinted that a fourth season will likely be necessary to properly conclude the story arcs from both The Last of Us games. While Season 3 could potentially be longer than its predecessor, Mazin emphasized that wrapping everything up in just one season would be nearly impossible.

Additionally, Mazin and co-creator Neil Druckmann admitted they’re still unsure exactly how much screen time some beloved characters will get moving forward—which means fans should brace themselves for surprises.