The Last of Us Season 2 has gotten a huge Kaitlyn Dever boost.
HBO's hit show cast Dever in a pivotal role in The Last of Us Season 2. Dever will play Abby, one of the sequel game's leading characters.
After first gaining notoriety with roles in Justified and Last Man Standing, Dever has given award-winning performances in the likes of Booksmart, Dopesick, and more.
In honor of her Last of Us Season 2 role, we ranked her top performances.
6-3
From a silent performance to a twist on William Shakespeare's classic story to carrying an awful Broadway adaptation, these Dever performances are stark reminders of her talent.
No One Will Save You
While I am not a fan of Brian Duffield's No One Will Save You, it does feature a great Kaitlyn Dever performance. She hasn't really done horror in her career, so this was a first time test for her.
And she passes with flying colors. The film only has a handful of words spoke during its 93-minute runtime, placing a lot of pressure on Dever's performance.
She really does a great job carrying the film. Dever plays Brynn, a woman traumatized by her past and living in isolation in the woods. She then faces an alien invasion and has to protect herself and her home.
Rosaline
Putting a twist on Shakespeare is always tricky. Rosaline, which is an adaptation of When You Were Mine, follows a character that was little more than a footnote in the original Romeo and Juliet story.
Her comedic chops, which were previously on full display in Booksmart, shine through an otherwise forgettable rom-com.
Dear Evan Hansen
Perhaps her biggest carrying job to date, Dear Evan Hansen stinks. The original story was already problematic, and slotting an already-too-old Ben Platt into the leading role he portrayed for years on Broadway didn't do it any favors.
In the film, Dever plays Zoe Murphy, the girl that Evan (Platt) attempts to get closer to by lying about her dead brother.
That said, Dever gives a very real performance that's way overqualified for this film. It doesn't make Dear Evan Hansen a good film, but her acting circles around Platt makes it worth watching.
Short Term 12
One of Dever's early breakthrough roles was Short Term 12. In fact, looking back at the film, it helped launch the careers of several Oscar winners.
Brie Larson leads the way as a supervisor of a group home for troubled teenagers. Rami Malek, LaKeith Stanfield, and John Gallagher Jr. also star in the film. It's a touching film written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who would go on to direct the MCU's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
The best of the bunch
The top two entries on this list highlight Dever's incredible range. From dramas to comedies, she can do it all.
Dopesick
Hulu's opioid drama Dopesick was one of 2021's hidden gems. In the series, Dever plays Betsy, a young woman who develops an opioid addiction in the wake of her work injuries. Along with Unbelievable, this is Dever's most heartbreaking performance to date.
It's her dynamic with her doctor, played by Michael Keaton, that sells it all. He knows that prescribing her the medicine is wrong, but Betsy is also broken down. It's a moral struggle more than anything that then leads to dire consequences.
Booksmart
Malala. That is the key word of Olivia Wilde's directorial debut, Booksmart. Dever stars alongside Beanie Feldstein as two childhood friends who have one night left to have a wild night out before their high school graduation.
Booksmart works on so many levels. The whole ensemble is fantastic, with Dever and Feldstein having great comedic chemistry. It's arguably one of the greatest high school coming-of-age films ever and will only continue to age like a fine wine. Dever gives a mostly-comedic performance that has some real dramatic beats (see the fight with Feldstein).
Up next: The Last of Us Season 2
Coming up, Kaitlyn Dever gets her first chance at a franchise project. She will star as Abby in The Last of Us Season 2. No spoilers here, but the role is vital and it will be interesting to see how audiences react.
This is a crucial point in Dever's career. The Last of Us will surely further put her name on the mainstream map. It could lead to even more big roles in the future if it's received well.
But in the meantime, you can catch up on Dever's best performances. She is one of the steadiest young forces in Hollywood, lacking any bad performances in her career to date.
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