Let’s think back to season one of The Last of Us. In episode six of the series, Pedro Pascal’s Joel and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie arrived to the town of Jackson, Wyoming, to meet up with Joel’s brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and his wife Maria (Rutina Wesley). Ellie, having never been a part of a community before, was a little unnerved by the glut of people who now surrounded them in the community. In particular, she yelled at one girl who was staring at her in wonder. And the girl ran away. In season one of The Last of Us, many theorized that “staring girl” was actually Dina, Ellie’s close friend, who is due to play a major role in season two. But was she? The Last of Us has now officially cast Dina, who will be played by Isabela Merced in season 2. And recently, Merced weighed in on whether or not we actually got to see Dina in season one of The Last of Us.
Ultimately, the staring girl played by Paolina Van Kleef is credited as nothing more and nothing less than “The Staring Girl.” Although it feels clear that her presence was designed to get The Last of Us games fans thinking about Dina, it’s unlikely she was literally meant to be Dina. Merced opines on the theory, noting, “I did see that. And her outfit looks very similar to Dina’s. I haven’t actually had the opportunity to ask Craig [Mazin].” She adds, “In my opinion, and the Dina that I’ve witnessed and seen, Dina wouldn’t run away. Dina would be like, ‘Who are you?’ I don’t think she would be scared of Ellie…. I don’t think Dina would run away, scared with her tail between her legs.”
That seems fair enough to us. By all accounts, Dina is a shining light and grinning presence, not the type to just run away on a dime. As we said, most likely, “The Staring Girl” is just that, but she definitely hints at things to come, nonetheless. In any case, we’ll see Isabela Merced’s take on Dina very soon. The Last of Us premieres on April 13.
Content shared from nerdist.com.