The Last of Us HBO Episode 8 Spoilers – when we are in trouble Read our review of the episode here.
Troy Baker loves The Last of Us and is such an important part of the series that he couldn’t pass up joining HBO’s live-action adaptation of the hit. “I wish I was just a clicker,” Baker told IGN in a post-episode interview.
Well, Baker is no clicker from The Last of Us HBO series. He plays James, a member of David’s survivors in his penultimate episode of The Last of Us season 1. “Neil and Craig came up to me and said, ‘We have your part.’ I’m talking about triggers.
“And I went, ‘Oh, who’s James?’ Like, ‘Oh yeah, buddy boy, man with the hat.
Baker is one of the hardest working actors in video games, and despite playing characters like The Joker and Revolver Ocelot, no one is more associated with Baker than his turn as Joel in The Last of Us video game. No role. In two video games and a special One Night Live stage production, Baker played post-apocalyptic survivor Joel. But he wasn’t fighting to get his role on his HBO show, he wanted to learn from someone new.
“What I wanted more than anything was for the person playing Joel to show me something new about the role,” Baker told IGN. “Is there something I’ve missed? Is there something I’ve missed? Is there something I don’t know?”
Luckily for Baker, HBO made the choice he thought was perfect. “The moment I found out they cast Pedro, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is bulletproof. His pedigree as an actor is evident, but so is the fact that he’s held this character in his loving arms, and I couldn’t imagine a more careful hand for this character to participate. . ”
Baker is open to the changes The Last of Us HBO series is making, from casting to story. Because it expands the world of video games, which he clearly loves. “There are limitations because we’re telling Joel’s story from Joel’s point of view and Ellie’s story from Ellie’s point of view,” observes Baker. “And what the show can do for us is get away from those characters and spend time with a lot of other characters that the game overlooks.”
One of those characters is James the Baker, who isn’t just a “buddy boy” but a vigilant survivor who might have a problem with what he’s doing. There are points throughout the episode where James appears to be clearly at odds with David. It’s how they’re surviving (spoiler: cannibalism), or how David seems more obsessed with catching Ellie than with revenge for her murder. Own.
Baker says it’s similar to a pair of Perry and Kathleen from Kansas City’s quarantine zone, another character newly introduced to the world of The Last of Us. “It’s reminiscent of the relationship that Jeffrey Pierce’s character Perry has with Kathleen, in which a leader with a right-hand man who helps guide their decisions in a way that can be playful or sympathetic.” There is,” says Baker.
“James recognizes the evil inherent within David, but it is better to be on the right side of the devil than on the bad side. So he is very careful about playing his position.” but we are also trying to achieve our goal of “please don’t let this girl in”. And he uses pragmatism as his method. She’s just another mouth to feed.
It was announced early on that Baker and his video game co-star Ashley Johnson, who voices Ellie in the game, would be part of the series, leading to speculation as to what role they might get. One early suggestion was for Baker to play David, but Baker said the decision was too obvious.
“There was a lot of rumors and speculation that I would play David. I was like, ‘That would have been too kitschy. Another example of what Baker loves about the show.
“What I love about it is that it’s different than what Nolan did in the game playing David, but it’s a different representation of a character that people might be familiar with.”
Ultimately, Baker stresses that shows and video games are two sides of the same coin, with both mediums helping each other to tell this story that has each won so many fans.
“I told people this was not an ‘either/or’ of playing the game or watching the show, it was a ‘yes and’. I’m excited to play the game again or go back and play the game for the first time and be part of that conversation.
Matt TM Kim is IGN’s Senior Feature Editor.you can contact him @lawoftd.
