HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama The Last of Us is coming to the end of its first chapter. The acclaimed series – based on the 2013 video game of the same name – aired its eighth and penultimate episode in the UK on Monday, meaning there is less than a week until the hotly anticipated finale.
The show has been revered by both fans and critics as one of the best TV shows of all time, as well as boasting a whopping viewership in both the UK and US. Variety reported that episode eight reached an impressive 8.1m viewers when it aired in the US on Sunday night, marking a new series high and a 74 percent increase from the viewership of the series premiere.
Co-creators and executive producers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have assembled a stellar cast for the series, centred around main protagonists Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey). The showrunners were also keen to have stars of the video game return for its live-action adaptation.
READ MORE: Will there be a The Last of Us season two and will it be based on the second game?
The series has already seen Merle Dandridge reprise her role as Firefly leader Marlene in the series premiere, while Jeffrey Pierce – the original voice of Joel’s brother Tommy – played ill-fated villain Perry in the Kansas City episodes. But the originators of the game’s two main characters also feature in the TV adaptation.
Original Joel voice and motion-capture actor Troy Baker had a supporting role in episode eight. Troy is an established voice and mo-cap actor, having voiced Sam Drake in the Uncharted franchise, Booker DeWitt in Bioshock: Infinite, Higgs in Death Stranding, and Magni in God of War, among countless others.
He returned for The Last of Us TV adaption, but in a much different figure from the game. Troy played the character of James, a minor antagonist from the game who is a member of a group of cannibalistic survivors living in an old resort called Silver Lake.
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James is the group leader David’s right-hand man and confidant who comes across Ellie in the wilderness as she hunts for food. Troy was not in consideration for reprising his role as Joel simply because he is so physically different to the character, according to Mazin.
Instead, he played a minor character with barely any lines in the game whose arc has been fleshed out for the TV adaptation. Troy was not disappointed with missing out on reprising his role, though, explaining to Entertainment Weekly that he has been delighted with Pedro’s portrayal of the world-weary smuggler.
“I had the opportunity to play it once and I left everything on the dance floor,” he said. “The thing I would’ve lamented is if whoever was tapped to play Joel didn't teach me something new, that they just did the same thing that I did and it became an impression of a performance rather than a character.
“That’s the thing I’ve been the most delighted about with Pedro. He brought something so new to this role. There’s always a moment in every episode where I’m like, ‘Oh f***! That’s good.’”
Troy also explained how he viewed James as more of a “pragmatist” than an outright villain. He said: “Just look at Joel in the very beginning. Joel was not a bad guy. Joel would never be a ruthless survivor. He was a contractor.
“He may have gotten in a tussle every now and then, but he was a good guy. What happens when you take a good person and put them through the most desperate of circumstances is you get a ruthless survivor, you get a black-market smuggler that’s capable of horrific things. James is the same way.”
Tonight was unreal. Hearing the response to this episode does this old boy’s heart good. I’m beyond grateful.
Amazing performances by all. Thank you to @Neil_Druckmann for your trust and friendship. And to @clmazin for telling me when to “Run.”
One more to go. #TheLastOfUs— Troy Baker (@TroyBakerVA)
Following the airing of Troy’s episode, the actor posted on Twitter in response to the praise of his performance. He wrote: “Tonight was unreal. Hearing the response to this episode does this old boy’s heart good. I’m beyond grateful.
“Amazing performances by all. Thank you to @Neil_Druckmann for your trust and friendship. And to @clmazin for telling me when to “Run.” One more to go.”
The season finale of The Last of Us airs on Sky Atlantic on Monday, March 13 at 9pm.
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