The Last of Us Star Isabela Merced Reveals BTS Details of Dina and Ellie’s Intimate Scene; Drops New Season 3 Hints

Isabela Merced, the actress who plays Dina on The Last of Us Season 2, recently spoke about the sensitivity and preparation that went into Dina's romantic scenes with Ellie, portrayed by Bella Ramsey. She also dropped fresh hints about Season 3.

One of the main concerns for the showrunners was making their intimate scene in Episode 4, Day One, emotionally authentic and grounded in consent. Intimacy coordinator Kathy Kadler and director Kate Herron choreographed the scene to emphasize vulnerability, trust, and mutual agency.

In an interview with Variety, Merced opened up about her experience filming romantic scenes with Ramsey and how their intimacy co-ordinator made it seamless and comfortable.

"She made us feel really comfortable, but also, we had already worked together for more than half the season at that point. Ellie and I were really comfortable too," Merced said.

Merced worked on developing the scene with both actors to capture their emotional states. Special care was taken to ensure that dynamics between the two were evenly distributed despite physical positioning.

Speaking on the attention given to details in the sex scene, the actress said, "I think it’s showing they both have agency in this decision to take it to the next step. And I think it was beautiful. And I think, yeah, we made some really wise decisions there."

Moving forward, Merced said the third season will present emotional tests for both the young leads. The new chapter might change their dynamic greatly, which she finds to be creatively stimulating. Although she has no confirmation about what's happening next, Merced has sent her inputs on their characters' future interactions to the team.

"It’s going to be weird acting like I don’t like Bella. It’s going to be hard because I have such a sweet spot for them now. But I don’t know. I’ve tried to ask Craig, but I don’t think he even really knows yet fully how things are going to be," she said.

Isabela Merced anticipates that The Last of Us Season 3 will begin filming in 2026. She is particularly excited about this season's Episode 7, which has a turning point in Dina and Ellie's relationship.

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