When a game is adapted for TV or film there are often hidden Easter eggs for fans of the original to spot, but in The Last of Us it was important that voice actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson were given the spotlight, game creator Neil Druckmann told Newsweek.
Baker and Johnson took on the roles of lead characters Joel and Ellie, respectively, in the original game and its 2020 sequel, and these characters are now being brought to life by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. Baker and Johnson were also given different, but important, parts to make their own.
The show is set in 2023, in a dystopian future where Joel is tasked with taking teen Ellie across the U.S. on a dangerous mission that just might save the world from its current post-apocalyptic state, but they’ll have to fend off the infected humans that now roam the country killing anyone in their path.
Druckmann and showrunner Craig Mazin spoke to Newsweek about bringing in Baker and Johnson for the show, and teased the important roles they play in Joel and Ellie’s journey in the adaptation.
‘The Last of Us’ Boss Teases Tory Baker and Ashley Johnson’s Roles in HBO Show
For Druckmann, who is co-creator, writer and executive producer on the HBO show, it was essential to find a significant part for Baker and Johnson to play, because it would have been a shame not to give them something more substantial than just a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo.
“Troy and Ashley were such a part of realizing the story for the first time, they kind of define who Joel and Ellie are in many ways and they will forever be the first versions of Joel and Ellie, and we really wanted to honor that and make them part of the show,” Druckmann said.
“And not just a cameo, a kind of wink [to fans of the game], we wanted to give them significant, meaty roles because they’re really fantastic actors that can play well on the show with the rest of our amazing cast.”
Johnson, in particular, seemed right for a part that had a special place in Druckmann’s heart: Ellie’s mom.
“There was a story that I had written after the game came out about Ellie’s mom, that was going to be realized in this one way and then it just kind of fell apart so it was always just sitting on a shelf,” said the co-president of video game developer Naughty Dog, creator of The Last of Us game.
“Craig’s excavation of what The Last of Us was, and just talking about everything that we had developed within Naughty Dog and the history of the world, and all these different factions and these relationships, I mentioned this story to him and his eyes went wide and he was like, ‘Oh, my God that has to go into the show.’
“And, immediately, we both had this thought separately, and we contacted each other like, ‘it has to be Ashley Johnson.’ There’s no other person that could play Ellie’s mom except for Ashley Johnson.”
While Johnson portrays Ellie’s mom, Baker takes on the role of James who is an antagonist from the original game and is a member of a cannibalistic group of survivors that encounters Joel and Ellie on their journey.
Mazin said giving Baker and Johnson significant roles in the HBO show was the “best thing we could have done,” and he enjoyed having the pair on set because he’s such a fan of the games.
“From my point of view, as somebody that was working with Troy and Ashley for the first time, they are awesome,” Mazin said. “They are so great, and they’re so great in the show.
“I think it’s wonderful, I mean they’ve both done plenty of live action work and Ashley’s a child actor going way back, but I think it’s great to see people who have made a large portion of their career in voice acting carrying over in front of the cameras and people can see what they can do.
“They’re both terrific and lovely people, as somebody that is a fan, and the game means so much to me, it’s easier with Troy because he doesn’t talk with Joel’s voice, but Ellie’s voice is Ashley’s voice! Every time I talked to Ashley, a little bit of me was [excited, going] ‘oh my God it’s really Ellie,’ so it’s been awesome to get to know them.”
Druckmann added: “They’ve been so gracious to support the show, I assume it’s got to be hard because these characters mean so much to them.
“Just like I had to go through a process to say I’m going to trust Craig with this thing that means so much to me, to be like ‘I trust you to run with this,’ for them to pass the baton, at least in this medium, to Pedro and Bella was really gracious of them, and we’re infinitely thankful for them.”
The Last of Us premieres on Sunday, January 15 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, and it will be available to stream on HBO Max.
‘The Last of Us’ Boss Teases Tory Baker, Ashley Johnson’s Roles in HBO Show
