'The Last of Us' episode 4 had one hell of a game actor cameo
If you watched episode 4 of HBO's The Last of Us and have played the Naughty Dog game, you might have noticed a familiar voice.
Among the militia-patrolled streets of Kansas City, a fallen FEDRA quarantine zone, leader Kathleen (a new character played by Melanie Lynskey) gathered her loyal rebels to find the mysterious Henry somewhere in the surrounding streets. And her second-in-command lieutenant, another new character called Perry, was right by her side.
The actor who plays Perry, however, is no newcomer to The Last of Us — Jeffrey Pierce actually voiced Joel's brother Tommy in both of The Last of Us games. In the HBO series, Tommy is instead played by Gabriel Luna.
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"A familiar voice but definitely not a familiar face because my god, he went all out," said Troy Baker of Pierce's performance while hosting HBO's The Last of Us podcast.
Baker, who played the original Joel in the games alongside Pierce as the original Tommy, spoke to series creators Mazin and Druckmann about Perry's character as Kathleen's "revolutionary right-hand man" and his building concern over the peeling pavement in the basement of one of the Kansas City buildings — along with Kathleen's decision to hold off telling their fellow rebels about it.
"There's this hesitation from Perry that's like, I know it's the wrong move, but I'll know my place, I'll stay in my lane," suggested Baker.
"That's a tough character to play and Jeffrey did a brilliant job," says Mazin, "because [Perry] believes in [Kathleen], he follows her, but he is also far more moral than she is. This is the thing, sometimes the person who's leading needs to be the person who has the least reluctance. That's why they lead you to victory. He's not as interested in her pursuit of vengeance, which is a function of her love but he'll follow her despite it. She's Bill and he's Frank. And we can do this all throughout the series."
"Like parents that have certain knowledge and decide when do we withhold information from our kids, when do we lie to them, when do we tell them the truth?" added Druckmann.
So, why does Perry follow Kathleen? "It was important for us for the audience to wonder why," says Mazin. "Why is he following her? What is so compelling there? All I can tell you is keep watching the show."
Pierce isn't the only voice actor from The Last of Us games making an appearance in the HBO series. Voice actor and motion capture actor Merle Dandridge reprises her role as Fireflies rebel leader Marlene in episode 2, while Joel and Ellie's original game actors, Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, are yet to make their appearances in the show — but they're coming up.
The Last of Us is now streaming on HBO Max. New episodes air every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, although the next episode is airing early on Friday to avoid a clash with the Super Bowl.