The treacherous expedition of The Last of Us began in 2013 when players were introduced to Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson’s rendition of the iconic duo, Joel and Ellie. With the original’s success, the franchise has expanded further with its heart-breaking sequel and HBO’s popular TV adaptation that re-imagines the infectious virtual world.
This time, Baker and Johnson take on completely different roles, offering new challenges for the talented actors. The two reflected on their experiences on PlayStation’s latest inside look into the show, reminiscing about the surrealness of playing the unique characters, James and Anna. During the interview, they both expressed gratitude for their decade-long journey as Neil Druckmann, co-president of Naughty Dog and executive producer of the TV series, admires their performances for each role.
Compared to Baker’s original character in the games, David’s right-hand man James isn’t what you’d expect for the actor as his first role was much more kind-hearted (at least to Ellie) like Pedro Pascal’s approach. Not only did Troy enjoy the challenge of this heinous part, but he was also in awe of the TV series’ extraordinary visual effects and settings.
In the interview, the actor states, “To see these scenes and sets that were originally, literally a gray wooden box with 64 cameras around us to now built from the ground up. Meticulous detail. It was absolutely surreal.” Johnson also chimes in on the show’s accurate conceptualization as she praises Bella Ramsey’s portrayal of one the most beloved main protagonists.
Aside from Troy, Ashley was also met with some nerves when playing Ellie’s mother, yet she was able to turn in an outstanding performance, just like she did in the video game series. Although fans were hesitant to see Pedro and Bella take on the roles, the original actors have continued to admire their approaches to the characters. Johnson has even admitted that she feels like Bella is her kid on Good Morning America, while Baker believes Pedro is perfect for the role in numerous interviews.
Now that the first season of HBO’s The Last of Us is over, we’ll have to see what comes next for the two brilliant actors, especially with the green light for the next storyline. Fans are still wondering if there will ever be a Part 3 to the original series, but only time will tell if Baker and Johnson will once again return for their roles.
