Catherine O'Hara has joined The Last of Us Season 2, and I have some ideas on who she could play. As an avid fan of the show and the video games, I can't wait to see how this comedic actress is incorporated, so let's talk about why these two characters would be perfect for her.
As someone who considers herself an avid fan of The Last of Us in general, from the video game to the hit HBO show, I have been on the hunt for casting news regarding the show's second season. So far, there have been plenty of significant announcements, from Isabel Merced playing Dina to Kaitlyn Dever being picked for the villain role of Season 2, where she'll play Abby. But never – and I mean never – could I have imagined in my wildest dreams that Max would announce that Catherine O'Hara would play a role in this show.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Catherine O'Hara, from her time as Moira Rose as part of the Schitt's Creek cast, to her co-starring role in one of the best Christmas movies ever Home Alone, to her iconic role in Beetlejuice. She's hilarious in everything she does. But The Last of Us was a show that never really screamed Catherine O'Hara to me.
However, the more I think about it, the more I know that there are two roles in the video game that I could easily see her sinking her teeth into and making her own. And today, that's exactly who we are going to talk about.
Also – minor spoilers for The Last of Us Part II down below!
The Seraphite Prophet
This is my leading theory for many reasons.
The Seraphite Prophet in The Last of Us Part II is like a villain from afar. We never see her – all we know is that the Seraphites, the people Ellie faces when she arrives in Seattle aside from facing Abby's crew, wage war against the WLF (Washington Liberation Front) in her name.
However, we do know that she is a messianic figure. The Seraphites worship her, pray to her, build shrines to her – the whole shebang. We see plenty of murals of her as we cross the city, whether on the wall or the side of a car. But we never once see her in person.
That's mainly because she was executed in the story – we don't see the execution, but we know it happened from what other characters tell us. It's the main reason the Seraphites continue fighting against the WLF.
Catherine O'Hara has this enigmatic energy in most of her characters, but she is also great at playing whimsical roles with a hint of comedy. If she uses both in this role, she could highlight this usually shrouded-in-mystery character from the game. Heck, she could even make this prophet terrifying.
It would be an excellent opportunity to expand on a character that we know exists but we really don't know as a person – sort of like what they did with Bill and Frank's legendary episode in Season 1.
However, while this is my top guess, there is one other person I could see her playing.
Lev And Yara's Mother
Alright, hear me out.
At first, this might be a bit wild, but I could also see O'Hara playing the unnamed mother of Yara and Lev, the two children accompanying Abby in the city who are on the run from Seraphites.
Lev and Yara's mother is left behind on the island when they run for their lives since Lev transitioned into becoming a boy – something that was a groundbreaking LGBTQ+ stepping stone in the world of video games. Lev feels awful for leaving her behind and ends up going back to try and save her, but he kills his mom in self-defense.
These are six things from the second game that I need to see in the next part of The Last of Us.
We only see her for a bit before she is killed, but I think if O'Hara were to play the character, we could get some real insight into how the Seraphite's mind works and expand on that game's partial antagonist. O’Hara is good with comedic and whimsical roles, but I could totally see her portraying a character that is stuck in the mindset of a religious zealot because of a prophet.
It also lines up with O'Hara's role being a guest role, as she would only be there for an episode or two.
I will say that the chances of this happening are a bit slim, as both Lev and Yara are Asian American, and Catherina O'Hara is not, but this wouldn't be the first time the race of the characters has been changed. Joel Miller was Caucasian in the game, but he is portrayed by the talented Pedro Pascal, a Chilean-American actor. I could see them switching around races because Lev and Yara have yet to be cast.
Honestly, I will be okay with whoever O'Hara plays because she kills it in every role she does, but these two are my top picks. Or she could wind up playing a new character entirely, as Melanie Lynskey did. Who knows?
And now this makes me want Season 2 that much quicker – can we get to 2025 already? While we wait for to see who this legendary actress ends up playing, you can go back and watch Season 1 of The Last of Us with a Max subscription.
