Michelle Mao and Kyriana Kratter have been cast as Yara and Lev in The Last of Us Season 3 at HBO, with the latter role drawing immediate scrutiny from entertainment observers and trans rights advocates. Like in the game, Lev is a 13-year-old transgender boy, but Kratter is cis and the producers felt she best embodied the character.
The casting represents a departure from Naughty Dog's own precedent. In the original game, both actor Ian Alexander and the character Lev are transgender, likely marking a first for a major video game. Alexander, who provided voice acting and motion capture for the role, is now 24 and works regularly in television, including a recurring role on Star Trek: Discovery where he made history as the first trans actor to play a trans character in the Star Trek canon.
HBO held an inclusive casting call for Lev, with young actors of different backgrounds auditioning, which was won by Kratter who is 15. The distinction matters because it reveals a choice rather than a casting vacuum. Kratter's recent breakout role as KB in Disney Plus' Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has earned her visibility in major franchise productions.
The decision sits within a broader and contested industry debate. For decades, cisgender actors like Hilary Swank and Eddie Redmayne won major awards for playing transgender roles. More recently, cross-sex casting has become viewed as a mistake, with recent projects that cast cis actors to play trans roles facing public backlash and box office hits. Yet while transgender actors should not be limited to only playing trans parts, they bring authentic presence to those characters.
Yara and Lev are a huge part of Abby Anderson's story in The Last of Us Part II, the game half expected to form the focus of the next season. Lev's acceptance of his identity as a transgender boy and the wedge this drives between the siblings and their larger Seraphite community is integral to their character arcs. The role carries weight beyond a typical supporting part.
Some observers note Kratter's credibility as an actor is not the issue. Rather, the tension lies between casting for maximum talent on one hand and offering opportunities to transgender performers seeking meaningful representation on the other. Trans actors frequently walk into auditions for trans roles only to see cisgender actors in the waiting room, actors who would be praised for their bravery if they landed the part while trans actors are deemed too specific to be cast in anything else.
Craig Mazin serves as the sole showrunner for Season 3, with Neil Druckmann stepping back from his previous role as co-showrunner, meaning the creative leadership differs from the game's development. The shift may matter for how the character of Lev ultimately translates to screen.