Troy Baker talked about being a part of the Netflix fan-favourite hit show ‘The Last Of Us’ in a recent post-episode interview with IGN.
Baker delivered an impressive performance in as James, a member of David’s survivors in the latest episode of the show. “Neil and Craig came to me and said, ‘We have a role for you.’ And Neil was like, ‘It’s James.’ And I went, ‘Oh dude… who’s James?’ Like, ‘Oh, right, buddy boy, the guy with the hat.’” Troy said of how he became a part of the franchise.
Baker played the character of Joel, a survivor in a post-apocalyptic world, in two video games and a unique stage production called One Night Live. However, the intention behind him auditioning for the HBO show was not to secure the role, but rather to gain knowledge from a new source.
“The thing that I wanted more than anything was for whoever was going to play Joel to just show me something new about the role,” Baker revealed. “Was there something that I overlooked? Was there something that I missed? Was there something that I didn’t know?”
Troy however believes that HBO made a decision he believes is ideal. “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.”
Troy talks about not playing David
An initial proposal was made that Baker should portray the character of David, but Baker objected, stating that it would be too obvious. “There was a lot of rumor and speculation that I was going to be playing David. I was like, ‘That would’ve just been too kitschy. That would’ve been too on the nose,” Troy said.
Baker further added, “The thing that I love, that’s a departure from what Nolan did in the game by playing David, is that, again, this is a different representation of a character that people might be familiar with.”
‘The Last of Us’ is now available to stream on Netflix.