Multiple things have made The Last of Us a hit in the minds of fans and critics. The first and most important thing is that the show respects and follows the source material. Second, it’s not afraid to look at certain things and go, “we can do better with that,” such as with the Bill and Frank episode that many feel is Emmy-worthy. Third, they’re honoring the game by not only showing as many references as possible and having an entire episode focused on the “Left Behind” DLC, but the voice actors for Joel and Ellie are both in the series.
That includes Troy Baker, who played Joel in both games in The Last of Us. His performance was one of the things that helped “seal the deal” of it being hailed as one of gaming’s greatest stories. So when the live-action adaptation came around, and he was asked to be a part of it in a small role, he told IGN he would’ve been fine with just being a clicker. But he then found out who he was playing and was fine with that too:
“And I went, ‘Oh dude… who’s James?’ Like, ‘Oh, right, buddy boy, the guy with the hat.'”
If you’re curious about what Troy Baker felt about the casting of Pedro Pascal as Joel, he couldn’t have been happier with that decision:
“The second that I found out that they cast Pedro, I was like, ‘Oh, well, we’re bulletproof now.’ Because obviously his pedigree as an actor is incontrovertible, but it’s also the fact that he has embraced this character with such loving arms. And I couldn’t imagine more careful hands for this character to be in.”
Indeed, many have praised Pedro for his role as Joel and for bringing to life what Troy did in a slightly different way. Many are eager to see what happens with the Season Finale as that is arguably some of Joel’s most important scenes that Pedro Pascal will have to deliver flawlessly to nail the effect.
Another thing that Baker praised was how the show was allowing certain things that the video game couldn’t. He noted how the show could flesh out scenes and characters that the games “glossed over,” and many would agree that how the character of David and Troy’s character James were portrayed in the latest episode proves that.
It’s good to hear that Troy Baker is on board with what happened. Oh, and if you’re wondering where the voice actress for Ellie is in the series, she’ll arrive in the final episode this Sunday.
