These 2 Actresses were TURNED DOWN For 'The Last of Us': But Formed a Long Lasting Friendship!
Fancasting Fanatics
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| Cailee Spaeny & Ellie (The Last of Us) |
While Cailee Spaeny is known for looking youthful in her role in Priscilla, many made the comparison of her appearance to the older version of Ellie in The Last of Us. Many compared her to Ellie in Part 2 of the videogame, the resemblance uncanny in many images of the 2 together. Most images are from Alien: Romulus of her role as Rain. Part 2 of the video game has a 5 year time jump, so fans feel as though the role of Ellie for the adaptation on TV should’ve been recast and specifically given to Cailee.
Many fans on X and Tik Tok expressed frustration that Cailee Spaeny, who was amongst a hundred actresses in consideration for, was turned down for the role. Many have commented even more on a viral tweet since season 2’s release. “She was literally made for that role” one X user tweeted. “Bella Ramsey is not bad but HBO really did drop the ball on the casting for Ellie. Cailee Spaeny would’ve been perfect and the ideal fit as Ellie.” another X user responded. “Honestly, I agree. Unfortunately… :( Bella is great but not for this role.” another politely posted.
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| Cailee Spaeny (Alien: Romulus) & Ellie (The Last of Us) |
While Cailee has almost identical physical resemblance to the older version of Ellie from the games, Spaeny undoubtedly has a very incredible and rare range as an actress. Within less than a year, Spaeny wowed audiences with both her performances as the iconic Elvis Presley’s wife, Priscilla Presley, in Priscilla, and Rain Carradine in Alien: Romulus. With one being a 60s based drama and one horror, both being big hits and earning the actress both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, it’s clear Spaeny had the emotional potential and range fans craved for Ellie.
Kaitlyn Dever’s Endeavour
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| Ellie (The Last of Us) & Kaitlyn Dever |
Spaeny wasn’t the only one turned down for the role. Actress Kaitlyn Dever was even closer than Spaeny to play Ellie. In 2014, the video game was originally going to be adapted into a movie. Dever even recalled in an interview meeting one of the co creators of the game, Neil Druckmann, a tour of Naughty Dog. “I would literally meet Neil at Naughty Dog and he would walk me around and show me how they created the game,” Dever recalled. She even got to see sketches of part 2 of the game before anyone else! “Talk about spoiler alerts… He did ask me, ‘Do you wanna know what happens?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, tell me!’ So I’ve been keeping that secret for years,” While fans were also disappointed that Kaitlyn was passed on for the role of Ellie and the movie went into “development hell”, she did however land the role of Abby for season 2 of the show adaptation.
The Most Unlikely (Yet Likely) Duo
Now you may be wondering aside from the loss of Ellie how Kaitlyn Dever and Cailee Spaeny are connected. Well, they’re actually good friends in real life! In the industry they work in, while they’ve never worked together directly, they’ve been seen time and time again spending time with each other and at professional events. For instance, the two shared smiles and laughs at Paris Fashion Week. Another time they were in a more casual setting posing for a mirror selfie. So even with the losses that come with acting, these two still got success in their acting careers and a friendship out of it too!
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| Cailee Spaeny & Kaitlyn Dever (Paris Fashion Week) |
And while there may be some discourse amongst fans of the show, Bella Ramsey has proven they do an amazing job at portraying the videogame character despite the hate and controversy. Some have even looped over the video game version of Ellie’s reaction to Joel’s death to the show version of Ellie’s reaction, and they’re almost identical with the same emotion. With the loss of Joel and revenge determined in Ellie’s heart, fans are in for a riveting ride on whether the show will hold steadfast to the games.
The Last of Us Season 2 is Now Streaming on MAX
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