HBO has cast Kyriana Kratter and Michelle Mao in the roles of Lev and Yara for the third season of The Last of Us. Kratter, from Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, will portray Lev, a transgender boy from The Last of Us Part II, while Mao, known from Bridgerton, plays Yara. Producers selected Kratter as she best embodied the character, according to Deadline.
The third season of HBO's The Last of Us adaptation has announced new cast members for Lev and Yara, the Seraphite siblings whom Abby encounters in The Last of Us Part II. Lev serves as Abby’s companion in that game's storyline, where his gender identity is central to his narrative. In the game, the role was played by trans actor Ian Alexander. For the series, Kyriana Kratter, a cisgender actor, takes on Lev, who remains a transgender boy. Michelle Mao joins as Yara. The season is set to premiere on HBO Max, with Craig Mazin as showrunner; Neil Druckmann, director of the games, is not involved in this season. Deadline reports that producers chose Kratter because she “best embodied the character.” This casting follows a history where cisgender actors have portrayed trans characters in other projects.
