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

HBO's The Last of Us Season 2 is set to premiere on April 13, and it's expanding its cast with six new actors, as reported by Variety. The new additions include 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 actors will portray a mix of characters from the original The Last of Us Part II game and new characters created for the show. Joe Pantoliano will take on the role of Eugene, a character who was briefly featured in the game as Ellie and Dina's friend. In Season 2, Eugene's role will be significantly expanded, giving viewers a deeper look into his background and his connection to Joel and Ellie's relationship.

Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann shared with Variety that Eugene's expanded storyline will echo the approach taken with Bill's character in Season 1. Druckmann expressed enthusiasm about fleshing out characters like Eugene, saying, "I get excited when I see these opportunities... 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 will play Seth, the bar owner from The Last of Us Part II, while Noah Lamanna will portray Kat, Ellie's former girlfriend. Alanna Ubach, Ben Ahlers, and Hettienne Park will introduce new characters named Hanrahan, Burton, and Elise Park, respectively.

These new cast members join the returning stars Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Isabela Merced as Dina, Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, and Gabriel Luna as Tommy. The showrunners have indicated that the narrative from The Last of Us Part II will be spread across multiple seasons, hinting at more surprises as the series unfolds.

For more insights into The Last of Us Season 2, you can explore why the show is planned to span four seasons and learn about some "pretty brutal" cut content from the original game that will be featured in the new season, as mentioned by Neil Druckmann.