HBO's The Last of Us season 1 features cameos from many of the original game's actors, with some appearances more obvious than others. The Last of Us follows Joel Miller as he transports teenager Ellie Williams across the post-apocalyptic United States, trying to get her to the rebel Fireflies, so they can use her immunity to cure the cordyceps infection. The original game actors both voiced their characters and brought them to life via motion capture, although they don't all resemble the characters physically.
For HBO's The Last of Us, different actors were cast in most roles, partially due to different physical appearances as well as different ages. Joel was voiced by Troy Baker in the original Naughty Dog game, but is played by Pedro Pascal on screen. Ellie was voiced by Ashley Johnson, but given the Johnson is in her 30s, teenager Bella Ramsey was cast as Ellie for the show. Though characters had to be recast, some of the main game actors were brought back as different characters, which The Last of Us creator Craig Mazin told EW was "important" for the show.
"It's not just about fan service. It's a dramatic genetic connection between the game and the show. They needed to be there."
5 Merle Dandridge as Marlene
The most obvious voice actor from The Last of Us game who appears in the TV series is Merle Dandridge. Dandridge is the only voice actor to reprise the same role in the show, portraying Fireflies leader Marlene in The Last of Us episode 1, "When You're Lost in Darkness," and episode 9, "Look for the Light." The show creators decided Dandridge looked enough like Marlene's original design that she could still play her, and thus Dandridge only required a wig to bring Marlene to life again. Of adapting the character to life-action, Dandridge said the following:
"I think there was a heavier stillness to her that ended up coming through, which surprised me, because I think I've always remembered and understood her as in front of the microphone with a fist in the air and all of that. But there was the weathered-ness of the 20 years of living in this very dark world and not knowing whether or not another side is actually going to happen.
(Via /Film)
4 Jeffrey Pierce as Perry
Jeffrey Pierce originally portrayed Joel's brother Tommy in The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II. In the TV adaptation, Pierce plays Perry, a member of the resistance in Kansas City. Though Pierce roughly resembles Tommy, he's older than the character, who is supposed to be the younger of the two brothers, should be. As such, Gabriel Luna was chosen for the role instead.
As Perry, Pierce appears in The Last of Us episodes 4 and 5. He's second-in-command to Melanie Lynskey's Kathleen Coghlan. Both Perry and Kathleen were invented for the show, though stand in for other groups and characters that existed in the game. Perry is killed by the show's only bloater (so far) near the end of The Last of Us episode 5, "Endure and Survive."
3 Troy Baker as James
Troy Baker originally provided the voice and motion capture for Joel in The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II. Not resembling Joel at all, he couldn't reprise the role on screen, but he was brought into the TV show for as the character of James. Like Pierce as Perry, Baker as James takes on a role opposed to Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us episode 8, "When We Are in Need." He's the right-hand to David and, in a complete flip from the character of Joel, advocates for killing Ellie. However, Ellie ultimately kills him.
In The Last of Us video game, James is portrayed by stuntman Reuben Langdon. The role was expanded for the TV series, with James questioning David's authority but never completely going against him. Baker told IGN on Mazin and Neil Druckmann giving him the role of James, “I would be happy if I’d just been a clicker." He also said that when he heard Pedro Pascal had been cast as Joel, he though, "Oh, well, we're bulletproof now."
2 Ashley Johnson as Anna
One of the most notable cameos in The Last of Us is that of Ashley Johnson. Johnson portrayed Ellie in the games, but couldn't play the teenager on screen. Instead, creators opted for Johnson to play Anna, Ellie's mother, in a new sequence for the show. For the first time, viewers got to see Ellie's birth, including an explanation of her immunity: Anna was bitten by an Infected as she was giving birth, so the infection transferred to Ellie via the umbilical cord.
As Anna, Johnson got to literally bring Ellie to life again. In a spotlight from HBO Max, Johnson said, "It's special for me to play the mother of this character that I care so deeply about." Johnson and Dandridge got to act together again in the flashback, too, revealing more about Marlene's connection to both Anna and Ellie.
1 Laura Bailey as a Nurse
Perhaps the most subtle cameo from a game actor is that of Laura Bailey. Bailey appears briefly as one of the nurses about to assist in operating on Ellie in The Last of Us episode 9, "Look for the Light." With a mask over her face, a surgical cap on her head, and little dialogue, she's near unrecognizable. In the first video game, Bailey provided some additional voices. But her more notable role was in The Last of Us Part II.
Bailey portrayed Abby, the secondary protagonist and playable character of The Last of Us Part II who kills Joel early in the game. Bailey's appearance in the show actually connects back to Abby — she witnesses Joel shoot the surgeon who will later be revealed as Abby's father. It's his death that motivates Abby to get revenge on Joel in the second game. Notably, Bailey is the only actor from the video games whose show character doesn't die, so she could return in later seasons of The Last of Us.
The Last of Us Part II actors Emily Swallow and Ian Alexander have expressed interest in appearing on the TV show, too. The Last of Us has been renewed for a second season, although the creators have indicated they may need more than one season to adapt The Last of Us Part II. That leaves plenty of room for Bailey, Swallow, Alexander, and more actors from the game to appear in future seasons of The Last of Us.