Warning: This post contains spoilers for season 2, episode 2 of The Last of Us. The loss of Kaitlyn Dever's mom to breast cancer was fresh when she first walked on the set of The Last of Us season 2. The actress' mom, Kathy, died in February 2024 following a 14-year battle with metastatic breast cancer, which she revealed in an Instagram post at the time. Within weeks, Dever, 28, had to get into the mindset of her new character, Abby, who is such an antagonist in the HBO series that she required additional security on set. Fans have strong reactions to Dever's character because she kills Pedro Pascal's beloved Joel in the video game. That moment came to fruition in the April 20 episode of season 2, and the Booksmart star revealed she was "in a daze" when she actually filmed the pivotal scene. "To be as honest as possible, I will just say that my days leading up to this scene were horrible," Dever told Entertainment Weekly. "I lost my mom two or three weeks before I actually shot this scene and my mom's funeral was three days before I did my first day," she said. "So I was sort of in a fog." The Apple Cider Vinegar actress said the grief over her mom's death prohibited her from doing her "normal routine as an actor" to prepare for the big scene, "which was really interesting because I was kind of worried about it." "Usually if I have a monologue like that, I'm memorizing it three weeks before I do it. I had a different approach, and I think that it really served the character in a lot of ways," she said. "I was able to sort of… I don't know, just really let it go and not think about it too much because the words on the page are so powerful anyway." In Dever's post announcing the death of her mom Kathy, she wrote, "Thank you for fighting so hard for us for so long. I am forever, forever, grateful for the special time we got to spend with you, sweet mama…it will never be enough." "I miss your smile, your sense of humor, your hugs, your kisses, getting to hold your hand, more than anything in the world," she continued. "You made everything better. My sweetest, beautiful girl. My best friend. Oh how much I love you. What a gift it is to love you. I love you forever and ever, Mom." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. New episodes of The Last of Us season 2 premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.