I can only imagine how strange it would be to see yourself in a game, besides the fact that you’re not just in any game but in one of the biggest titles of all time,The Last of Us Part 2. We know thatShannon Woodwardvoices the character of Dina from the post-apocalyptic title but we don’t know a lot about the person who face modeled for the role. Cascina Caradonna is an actress and has her very own YouTube channel where she records different aspects of her day and also a side measure of gaming videos. However, after seeing herself for the very first time inThe Last of Us Part 2, Cascina couldn’t keep in how overwhelming it all was for her.
Two months ago,Cascinaposted some gameplay recordings of her first time playing through the originalThe Last of Us, gaining over two million views on one of the videos in the process. Fast-forwarding a few months later and Cascina is finally back again to playThe Last of Us Part 2at the request of her fans. She states that she’s been waiting and holding off on getting stuck into the game because she was nervous and excited but felt that the time has now come to just do it. Before starting the game, Casina shows off herThe Last of Us Part 2phone case with her face splashed all over it which is probably another really weird thing for her but also a huge achievement.
Settling into the title and playing for a little while, the moment finally comes whereCascinasees herself as Ellie walks up to Dina prior to a fun snowball fight with the settlement’s kids. Upon witnessing herself, the moment becomes too overwhelming for her and begins to cry. Pausing the game, Cascina says through tears that “I’m sorry, this is really weird for me. I’ve never actually seen myself on TV before”. She continues to say that she has seen the trailer so many times and she thought she’d be fine but the fact of seeing herself in the actual game was really jarring. Even though she tries to compose herself and carry on with the game, Cascina still couldn’t get over the fact that this was her - in a Naughty Dog title.
For more post-apocalyptic news, check out thisThe Last of Us Part 2fan art postershowcasing Ellie’s evolution,Ashley Johnson mimicking Joel, or this amazingmural of AbbyfromThe Last of Us Part 2appropriately painted beside a gym. If you happened to think you were imagining hearing director/writer Neil Druckmann and co-writer Halley Gross chatting over the radio as two WLF members towards the end of the game with Abby, you weren’t wrong. ApparentlyDruckmann and Gross lent their voicesfor this particular scene and for someone who thought they knew all the in’s and out’s ofPart 2, I completely missed this!
The Last of Us Part 2is available now exclusively on PS4 (andsoon to be PS5). The game was one of DualShockers’ favorites of 2020; make sure to check out theofficial DualShockers (generally spoiler-free) review. Also, feel free to grab the gamephysically on Amazonto help support the site.
