Bring out the red carpet, because Moira Rose has entered Jackson. The second season of HBO’s The Last of Us has cast Emmy-winning comedy actress Catherine O’Hara in a mysterious role.
The news, tweeted by Max, is the fourth major casting for the new season. Just last month, they cast Booksmart’s Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Beef‘s Young Mazino as Jesse, and Superman: Legacy’s Isabela Merced as Dina.
Funny enough, while appearing for Argylle with co-star Bryan Cranston on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, a call-in fan asked about her involvement. She responds “How do you know these things?” and genuinely looks concerned, like she lost Kevin again. She later says that “her son’s a set dresser on the show…so I get to see him, too.”
The video game adaptation, starring Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones), recently won eight Creative Emmys. It was also nominated for five Primetime Emmy awards, including Best Drama. The show was a massive hit for HBO and fans alike. This new season is expected to adapt The Last of Us Part II, released in 2020 to critical praise.
Who is Catherine O’Hara playing in The Last of Us Season 2?
DanielRPK previously teased on his Patreon that Catherine O’Hara was in talks to star as an original character named Gail. There is no character by that name in The Last of Us Part II, meaning this could be an original character, like Marlon and Florence, or a reworked character, similar to how the first season fleshed out Bill’s husband, Frank. It’s also possible Gail isn’t the character’s actual name (or that DanielRPK just got it wrong, so take it with a grain of salt).
Catherine O’Hara is a pretty interesting choice for a post-apocalyptic drama show given her comedy background. Many know the 69-year-old actress from her roles in the first two Home Alone films as Kate McCallister and her Emmy-winning performance as Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020). She’s done other projects like Beetlejuice, Best in Show, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, but nothing like this.
Despite that, I’m excited to see how it goes. Comedy actor Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation) won for his role as Bill in The Last of Us. Who’s to say Catherine won’t get another Emmy under her belt?
Season two of The Last of Us is scheduled to film later this year and release sometime next year. If you need something Last of Us related to hold you over, The Last of Us Part II Remastered is out on PlayStation 5 and includes a making-of documentary.
