Who plays Hanrahan in The Last of Us? Meet the actress who exclusively appeared in the HBO series
Besides Isaac Dixon's character, Episode 4 of The Last of Us season 2 depicted another new character. Although not formally introduced in the episode, her significance to the plot is established via her interaction with Isaac's character. The same occurs through a series of flashbacks featured in the episode to shed light on Isaac's backstory.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 episode 4 . Reader discretion is advised.
The character in question is Hanrahan, portrayed by Legally Blonde and Euphoria actress Alanna Ubach. Unlike Isaac Dixon, Hanrahan's character is not a part of The Last of Us video games developed by Naughty Dog, on which the show is based. This indicates that the show's creators have taken creative liberties by introducing Hanrahan as a completely original character.
Alanna Ubach portrays Hanrahan in The Last of Us season 2
As previously mentioned, Alla Ubach appears in flashback form in the fourth episode of The Last of Us season 2. In the scene, which is set 11 years before the occurrences of the show's second season, Isaac is in a truck with several military personnel.
To provide some backstory, at the time, Isaac was associated with FEDRA (Federal Disaster Response Agency), a group that had taken control over the U.S. Government following the Cordyceps infection outbreak. Parallelly, FEDRA's rise to power in the U.S. was characterised by several factions trying to overthrow the group and assume control of the government. One of the most powerful groups among them was the WLF (Washington Liberation Front).
Coming back to the present, when Isaac is on the truck with his peers, their vehicle is abruptly stopped by a school bus. After this, several people affiliated with the WLF appear in plain clothes. Among them, Hanrahan appears in front of Isaac and asks him to confirm his identity. After he does that, he learns of Hanrahan's identity. He then drops a bomb in the truck and kills everyone, barring one.
Although Isaac does not verbally make it clear in the scene, it is understood from his actions that his allegiance is no longer to FEDRA. By aiding the WLF by killing FEDRA soldiers, Isaac depicts that he sides with the WLF now. As the episode depicts in real time that Isaac is among the most influential WLF members, the aforementioned event can be considered as one of his first acts of defiance against his former group.
Alanna Ubach: Where have you seen her before?
Alanna Ubach has been active in the industry since 1990 and has been in more than 40 movies and television shows. One of her first movies was Airborne, released in 1993, while one of her first TV shows was The Torkelsons, released in 1992.
Some of the movies Ubach has been a part of since her debut include Legally Blonde (2001), Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003), Meet the Fockers (2004), Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005), Bad Teacher (2011), Bombshell (2019), and Venom: The Last Dance (2024).
Some of the shows she has been a part of include CSI: NY (2005), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2011), The Mentalist (2011), Californication (2013), American Horror Story (2016), and Euphoria (2019-present). Her appearance in The Last of Us season 2 episode 4 marks her most recent one.
Besides appearing in front of the camera, Ubach has also done some voice acting. She has lent her voice to animated characters in several projects such as Batman: Gotham Knight (2008), The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008-2009), Rango (2011), Ben 10: Omniverse (2013, 2014), Coco (2017), and Family Guy (2023).
Ubach has also done several video games, including Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots (2007) and Rango (2011).
The next episode of The Last of Us season 2 premieres on HBO and releases on Max on May 11, 2025.
