The Last Of Us fans unhappy as HBO show casts cis actress in transmasc role

The Last of Us recently announced it had filled two key roles from the game for its third season, but some people aren’t happy with the news.

It was revealed that Bridgeton star Michelle Mao and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew actress Kyriana Kratter have joined the HBO series as Serephite siblings Yara and Lev respectively.

In the game, the pair become a major part of Abby’s (Kaitlyn Dever) storyline when she crosses paths with them, with Lev joining her on her travels for a good chunk of the journey and acting as Abby’s moral compass.

However, some fans aren’t happy with the casting as Lev is a 13-year-old trans boy in the game, and Kratter, who will be playing him, is a cisgender actress.

According to Deadline, HBO held “an inclusive casting” for the character, “with young actors of different backgrounds auditioning”.

Fans of the game took to social media to express their disappointment at the news. “Hey so casting a woman to play Lev is in fact transphobic!” one wrote.

“The HBO TLOU has truly f***** up several characters and plot points already but if they remove Lev or get a [cis] person to play the character this show could genuinely be in competition for the worst video game adaptation of all time,” wrote another.

Another said: “There’s so many trans teens trying to get into acting. This is so f*****.”

Who voices Lev in The Last Of Us games?

In the video game The Last of Us Part II, Lev was played by trans non-binary actor Ian Alexander, who also expressed an interest in reprising the role.

“I was just so grateful that I was able to be a part of that franchise and I’m so excited that we got picked up for season two,” Alexander told Insider in 2023. “My fingers are crossed that I get to reprise my role as Lev.”

“I still can’t get over that Lev’s original actor is trans… and was up to playing the character again…” one social media user shared. “Why would you not bring him back instead?”

Another said: “Honestly f*** TLOU for so many reasons but especially this recent Lev casting. Ian Alexander 100 per cent could have reprised their role, he proved he can still do their pre-T voice on TikTok a little while back and they’re only 24. Plenty of 20-something-year-olds play teens still.”

HBO’s The Last of Us was co-created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, who worked on the game, with Mazin serving as sole showrunner for its third season.

Season three will feature returning cast members Bella Ramsey, Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Gabriel Luna and Jeffrey Wright, as well as Clea DuVall, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Jason Ritter and Patrick Wison.

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