HBO’s “The Last of Us” is back, and the show’s second season (read /Film’s review) not only brings a time jump but also a whole host of new characters along with it. The best of the bunch so far is undeniably Dina (Isabela Merced), Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) best friend and partner in crime at the Jackson, Wyoming settlement she and Joel (Pedro Pascal) now call home. Other new Jackson residents include the young community leader Jesse (Young Manzino) and the sharp-edged therapist Gail (Catherine O’Hara).
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Interestingly, though, season 2 doesn’t open with a spotlight on its heroes. Instead, the season premiere focuses heavily on a pack of young people who feel they’ve been wronged by Joel and are out for blood. Among them? Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby, Tati Gabrielle’s Nora, Ariela Barer’s Mel, Danny Ramirez’s Manny, and Owen (more on the actor who plays him momentarily). The latter is particularly notable for being one of the group’s voices of reason and attempting to pump the brakes when Abby sees red after the events of the season 1 finale.
Here’s where you’ve seen Owen actor Spencer Lord before
Owen is played by actor Spencer Lord, whose earliest on-screen credit dates back to 2017. The actor made his debut in a short film before appearing in “Riverdale” for two episodes in 2020. Like most “Riverdale” guest stars, his role was memorably ridiculous; his character, Terry, tried to force poor Kevin (Casey Scott) into being tickled for money in a plotline that mirrored David Farrier’s incredible (and incredibly weird) 2016 documentary “Tickled.” After his stint on “Riverdale,” Lord appeared in a trio of TV movies (including the ripped-from-the-headlines Lifetime film “Doomsday Mom”) before popping up on an episode of ABC’s “The Good Doctor.”
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In 2022, Lord made the jump to a recurring role by playing the boyfriend to Jewel Staite’s Abby in the Canadian legal series “Family Law.” That show is set to return with a fourth season, but Lord has kept busy in the meantime with a major turn in the impressively long-running Canadian drama “Heartland.” A show about an Alberta family of ranchers, “Heartland” has been going for 18 seasons and counting, with Lord having come aborad in 2023. He’s so far played the role of Nathan Pryce Jr, a character the actor has called “a bit of a lone ranger,” for 16 episodes and counting.
According to the East Idaho News, Lord earned a mechanical engineering degree in college, but by 2016 had decided he wanted to pursue acting instead. The role of Owen in “The Last of Us” is no doubt the most massive career jump to date for Lord, and judging by his Instagram post from the season 2 premiere captioned “pinch me,” he’s clearly excited to be a part of the acclaimed franchise.
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New episodes of “The Last of Us” premiere on HBO Sundays at 9pm ET, with a third season having already been confirmed by HBO.
