Playing "The Last of Us" before his meeting with showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann was Mazino's first real experience with the game. He called the game "phenomenal" and confirmed that his training for Season 2 includes learning "how to ride a horse" and brushing up on his firearm training.
Danny Ramirez (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) will play Manny, a loyal soldier — per the official character description — "whose sunny outlook belies the pain of old wounds and a fear that he will fail his friends when they need him most."
Ariela Barer (Runaways) will play Mel, "a young doctor whose commitment to saving lives is challenged by the realities of war and tribalism."
Tati Gabrielle (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The 100) will play Nora, "a military medic struggling to come to terms with the sins of her past."
And that brings us to Spencer Lord (Heartland, Family Law), who'll play Owen, "a gentle soul trapped in a warrior's body, condemned to fight an enemy he refuses to hate." Those who've played the Naughty Dog video game on which Season 2 is based will recognize these characters as major players in the story ahead. And we don't want to spoil those new-ish to the franchise, so all we'll say is that Owen, in particular, is someone very important to Kaitlyn Dever's Abby.