Merle Dandridge recalls her original casting as Marlene in The Last of Us video game

The Last of Us is one of the most famous video game franchises of all time. Hence when the TV adaptation was announced a few years ago, a lot of fans got really excited, and had high expectations for the series. Merle Dandridge was one of the few original actors from the game who made a return to the franchise. She recalled her early casting experience during the making of the game.

How was Merle Dandridge’s casting experience on the set of The Last of Us video game?

While talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Dandridge recalled, “It was an audition like any other theatrical situation. I got a script for a really great character, and I immediately identified with her and understood her strength and the moral conundrum that she was in the middle of. And so my imagination immediately went wild. That’s the first indication that it’s a great character when building their circumstances and creating a full emotional life comes so easily.”

How did Merle Dandridge feel on her return to The Last of Us franchise?

Dandridge continued, “And flash forward to being in the room with Neil Druckmann, who created the game and is executive producing on the HBO series, I was reading opposite Troy Baker, who played James in [The Last of Us] episode eight, but played Joel in all of the games. And I immediately felt like I found my tribe. So the coupling of a great script and character with really fantastic people to work opposite was a recipe for something wonderful, and it continues to be ten years later, if you can believe that.”

What can we expect from The Last of Us Season 2?

Showrunner Craig Mazin teased the reporters about what’s to come in Season 2, “Sometimes it will be different radically and sometimes it will be barely different at all, but it’s going to be different and it will be its own thing. It won’t be exactly like the game. It will be the show that Neil and I want to make. We are making it with Bella.”

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