In 2016, Naughty DogaddedWestworldwriter Halley GrosstoThe Last of Us Part 2team. Many fans have been excited to see how Gross' writing talents may shape the hotly anticipated game and its narrative, though it seems that writing isn’t Gross' only talent.

In a post shared on Instagram earlier this week, Gross revealed that she would also be featured in the game in some capacity. In the first picture of the Instagram post, Gross appears next to Naughty Dog vice president andThe Last of Us Part 2director, Neil Druckmann, with a motion capture suit and a cheerful expression on her face (her face is also covered in motion capture dots). The second photo shared by Gross is a close-up that also shows the writer in a mo-cap suit but the mo-cap dots aren’t on her face.

The images immediately had fans speculating on who Gross may be playing in the game. Several characters have been revealed already,including Yara and Lev, who starred in the game’s brutal Paris Games Week 2017 trailer. But Naughty Dog continues to keep fans in the dark about who else protagonist Ellie may come into contact with.

Could Gross be playing a friend or foe of Ellie’s and just how much will she feature in the game? Moreover, some fans are wondering whether Gross' character will only be included as an Easter egg for fans to discover. After all, Naughty Dog loves hiding secrets in its games and it even included aThe Last of UsEaster egg inUncharted 4: Thief’s End.

According to the comments of Gross' Instagram post, many are also surprised that Naughty Dog is still shooting motion capture scenes for the game. The second image shared by the writer is timestamped with July 25, 2025, confirming this as a recent mo-cap session.

Fans are concerned that if Naughty Dog is still filming mo-cap sequences to add new content to the game, as opposed to just doing polish, they could still have a while to wait untilThe Last of Us Part 2is released. Recent speculation had suggested that the game would bereleased in 2019, but unfortunately for eager fans, continued mo-cap sessions make that release date a lot less likely.

The Last of Us: Part 2is currently in development for PlayStation 4.