Nick Offerman has revealed that he received a “lot of homophobic hate” following his one-episode appearance in The Last of Us.
The former Parks and Recreation star featured in the third episode of the acclaimed post-apocalyptic drama series, which airs in the US on HBO and on Sky and NOW in the UK.
In the episode, titled “Long, Long Time”, Offerman, 52, plays Bill, a man who falls in love with a stranger named Frank (Murray Bartlett). Their love story, which spans two decades, is the focus of the entire episode, with series leads Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) making only short appearances.
Speaking to the i, Offerman recalled that the episode, which drew ardent and widespread praise, caused him to receive “a lot of homophobic hate via social media”.
“I was kinda fascinated by how openly people will express hate and brand themselves as bigots,” he said. “I kept thinking: ‘We can see you!’ Because here were men saying: ‘I’m a father and a Christian and a patriot and I hate queers’.”
Offerman, who is straight, then asked how worrying it was that, in the year 2023, “the public expression of that kind of hatred is still pretty safe”.
“We’re basically punishing people for loving wrong,” he continued. “All these people want to do is to love each other. Like, I love Belted Galloway cows. I also love walnut trees.
“People who come to [Offerman’s LA-based woodworking shop] are straight, gay, trans, non-gender-conforming… it doesn’t matter if you want to make a table, and why should it?”
Speaking to Inverse earlier this year, Peter Hoar, the director of “Long, Long Time”, stated that he had intended to “trick” straight audiences into watching the queer love story.
“Sometimes you have to sort of trick the rest of the world into watching these things before they’re like, ‘Oh, my God, it was two guys. I just realised,’ he said.
“I think then they might understand that it’s all real. It’s just the same love.”
The Last of Us is released in the UK on Sky and NOW.
