The Voice Behind The Last of Us 2’s Most Controversial Character Says She’s Been Threatened
Famous gaming voice actress Laura Bailey posted an image on Friday that showed multiple death threats she claimed were sent to her because of her role as Abby in Naughty Dog’s divisive new game, The Last of Us Part 2.
Man. I try to only post positive stuff on here… but sometimes this just gets a little overwhelming. I blacked out some of the words cuz, ya know, spoilers.
Side note. Thank you to all the people sending me positive messages to balance it out. It means more than I can say.❤️ pic.twitter.com/kGyULWPpNu
— Laura Bailey (@LauraBaileyVO) July 3, 2020
The response to Bailey’s tweet mostly condemned the death threats and Bailey’s co-star Ashley Johnson (who voiced Ellie, the protagonist of the game) tweeted, “I love you Laura Bailey. Your performance in the game was an absolute revelation and it transformed me. It was an honour to be on that stage with you. So much love and adoration.”
While The Last of Us Part 2 has been a major sales hit and received positive reviews, its reception among fans has been mixed because of several controversial story decisions. On a podcast co-hosted by ex-Nintendo boss Reggie Fils-Aime, creative director Neil Druckmann spoke about the backlash he and other people involved in the game have received after it launched.
“I just have a hard time wrapping my mind around that,” Druckmann said about the harassment that one of the voice actors allegedly received. “The thing I try to do is just ignore it as much as I can. When things escalate to being serious, there are certain security protocols that we take and I report it to the proper authorities. Then you just try to focus on the positives and focus on distracting yourself with other stuff. But it’s kind of just the reality.”