The Last of Us: was that Dina in Episode 6? Cameo explained - who is actor and what was she billed as?

The Last of Us fans are convinced that the show just featured a cameo from Dina - a pivotal character from the second game.

In the sixth episode of the HBO series - entitled Kin - Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) arrive at the peaceful settlement of Jackson, Wyoming. After reuniting with Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and meeting his wife Maria (Rutina Wesley), they sit down for a meal.

While eating, Ellie spots a girl from across the room who is watching her from behind a wooden beam. She runs away after Ellie shouts “what?” at her.

It is a moment that might seem innocuous but might just have featured the debut of a major character from The Last of Us Part II and the future of the show. Social media users are convinced that the staring girl is actually Dina!

Here is all you need to know about the actor, what she was billed as and what the fans have been saying.

Was that Dina in The Last of Us?

Fans of the games were eager to rush to social media to share their theories that the girl who was watching Ellie was none other than Dina. The actor had dark hair and looked similar to the Last of Us Part II character.

Shannon Woodward, who played Dina in the PlayStation 4 exclusive, tweeted: “Oh damn was that Dina.”

It has not officially been confirmed that the character was Dina, however according to fans on social media in HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast it was heavily hinted that the cameo was in fact her. One person tweeted: “They strongly hint at it hard in the podcast like 20 times in 1 minute. It’s for sure Dina.”

Insider reports that the creators played coy. “It’s ambiguous,” Mazin said, adding, “I wonder who that could be, theoretically or not. We’ll find out maybe one day.”

Druckmann added: “In ‘Part II,’ there is a story about the first time Dina met Ellie that is very similar to what happens here.”

Dina’s potential introduction was not the only hint at the future of The Last of Us in the episode - as fans spotted a heartbreaking easter egg.

Who was the actor?

Paolina van Kleef was the actor who played the girl in the scene. According to iMDB she is set to feature as Harper in two episodes of a show called The Night Agent, due out in 2023, and also played Sayhr in the short film Yasmina in 2018.

Interestingly according to iMDB she is set to feature in two episodes of the first season of HBO’s The Last of Us. On her Instagram account she has her full name as Paolina Hernandez van Kleef.

What was the character billed as?

On iMDB she is billed simply as ‘Staring Girl’ - so no further clues to the identity if the character.

Who is Dina?

Introduced in The Last of Us Part II, Dina is a major character in the sequel. Slight spoilers follow.

Played by Shannon Woodward in the game, Dina is Ellie’s girlfriend and accompanies on her quest to Seattle following the inciting incident (if you know, you know). With The Last of Us renewed for a second season, she will more than likely play a key role in the show going forward.