Troy Baker didn’t want to play major role in The Last of Us Episode 8: “Too on the nose”

Eleni Thomas
Troy Baker header

The Last of Us actor and voice actor Troy Baker has spoken about his excitement in being able to play a significant role in episode 8 of The Last of Us series, with the voice actor also shutting down rumors that he originally set out to play a different character.

HBO’s The Last of Us is wrapping up its first season, with the latest zombie drama a massive success for both fans of the game as well as new audience members only now diving into the world.

In a recent interview with IGN, actor Troy Baker spoke about how his involvement in the show came to be, even calling his role a “surprise.”

“If there was a role for me to play in the show, then great, but it wasn’t definite,” he said. “It wasn’t something that was guaranteed and it wasn’t something that I was even necessarily seeking. It was just like, ‘If you guys feel that you have a spot for me then I’d happily do it.’ I would be happy if I’d just been a clicker.”

Baker added that he thinks he would have made “a terrible clicker, by the way.”  Instead, Baker plays a character named James in episode 8.

Troy Baker as James in The Last of Us Episode 8
Troy Baker made an appearance in the penultimate episode of The Last of Us on HBO.

Troy Baker on David casting rumors for The Last of Us series

As well as this, Baker also commented on the rumors that he had originally been in talks to play David, a notable villain in the original game who is played by Scott Shepherd in the series.

“That would’ve just been too kitschy,” Baker said. “That would’ve been too on the nose.”

While gaming adaptations don’t always include their voice actors in proper roles, they do typically include them in some capacity. In the Uncharted film, for instance, voice actor Nolan North made a small cameo appearance despite Tom Holland being the one to play Nathan Drake in the movie.

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About The Author

Eleni is a Melbourne-based journalist. Having completed her Bachelor's in communication (Journalism) at RMIT University, Eleni is now a senior writer for the Dexerto Australia team. A big Nintendo fan (with a Triforce tattoo to prove it) and a lover of the zombie genre, Eleni covers gaming, entertainment as well as TV and movies for the site. She is also passionate about covering Queer and female representation. Contact Eleni at eleni.thomas@dexerto.com