If Bella Ramsey has been the target of critics and trolls in The Last of Us, actresses Isabela Merced and Kaitlyn Dever have been widely praised. Kaitlyn, in particular, is set to take center stage in the show’s third season, where the narrative will present Abby not exactly as an antagonist.

What’s curious, as some fans have already noticed, is that not only were both actresses once considered for the role of Ellie, but they also starred together in the revisionist romantic comedy Rosaline (2022)—a film I had planned to review here and never did. It’s intriguing to see them now on opposite sides in The Last of Us. What they have in common is a rare blend of dramatic depth and comedic lightness, a combination that continues to make them stand out in Hollywood.

Kaitlyn Dever, born in 1996, began her career as a teenager in productions like Justified and Last Man Standing, where she quickly caught attention for her charisma and comedic timing. However, it was through independent dramas that she solidified her critical acclaim: Short Term 12 (2013), alongside Brie Larson, and especially Unbelievable (2019), a Netflix miniseries based on real events involving rape and institutional disbelief, where her restrained, painful performance earned unanimous praise.

Her breakthrough in pop culture came with Booksmart (2019), directed by Olivia Wilde, where she co-led the film with Beanie Feldstein, followed by the musical Dear Evan Hansen (2021) and the romantic comedy Rosaline, in which she played the title role.

Isabela Merced, born Isabela Moner in 2001, is of Peruvian-American descent and began her career early, with roles on Nickelodeon such as 100 Things to Do Before High School. She quickly proved to be more than just a child star, appearing in films like Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) and Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018). In 2019, she gained widespread recognition as the lead in the live-action comedy Dora and the Lost City of Gold, where she reinterpreted Dora the Explorer with charm and physical presence.

Merced has also been investing in music and voice acting, and in recent years has taken on more adult and varied roles, including the acclaimed drama Let It Snow and the sci-fi epic Finch, alongside Tom Hanks. In Rosaline, she played none other than Juliet, and her chemistry with Dever confirmed how talented they both are in both comedy and drama. That’s something we see again in The Last of Us, where Merced plays Dina, Ellie’s (Ramsey) love interest and one of the most beloved and charismatic characters from Part II of the game.

Moreover, Merced was recently cast by James Gunn to play Hawkgirl in the new DC cinematic universe, cementing her status as a rising star in major future franchises.

Rosaline: A Feminist Shakespearean Satire with Heart and Bite

Available on Star+ (Disney+), Rosaline is a romantic comedy based on the book When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle, itself a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet from the perspective of Juliet’s cousin, Rosaline Capulet, Romeo’s first love.

Rosaline (Dever) is a determined, sarcastic young woman who is anything but the submissive ideal of Verona. Upon discovering that Romeo has left her for Juliet, she embarks on a journey to win him back—or at least to stop the tragic wedding we know from the original play. It’s a comedic reimagining, filled with intentional anachronisms, trendy costumes, and sharp dialogue, in the vein of A Knight’s Tale or 10 Things I Hate About You.

The counterpoint to Rosaline is, of course, Juliet (Merced)—a dreamy yet sharper and more independent version than we usually see. They’re not rivals but rather two young women with different views on life. The dynamic between them, full of sparks and unexpected empathy, is the heart of the film, with all the makings of a cult favorite.

A Traumatic Reunion in The Last of Us

The two actresses were reunited in one of the series’ most traumatic moments—namely, the death of Joel (Pedro Pascal). In this second season, through the eyes of Dina and Ellie, Abby appears as a violent and vengeful monster. Hardened by loss and driven by revenge, she seems cruel at first glance. But the third season will reveal how deeply human she is. The game was controversial precisely because it forced players to see the world from her perspective after following Ellie’s journey for so long.

If Rosaline deconstructed the myth of Romeo and Juliet, in The Last of Us, they’re at the forefront of a new kind of epic: an emotional odyssey that interrogates morality, love, and trauma in a world reduced to rubble. Their talent remains unshakable in this intersection between Verona and the ruins of civilization, building bridges between genres, styles, and audiences. Now that the show is on hiatus until 2027, it’s the perfect time to revisit the film and appreciate how great the two are together.