The Last of Us’ original Joel actor initially thought he was going to play a Clicker

HBO’s The Last of Us is its new record-breaking steamroller; surpassing television ratings and viewership records with every new episode. The season 1 finale aired a few hours ago on Sunday, and the fans are still reeling with the after-effects of the traumatic events that Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) just went through. The video game’s original Joel actor, Troy Baker, who had a minor role in the penultimate episode, initially thought he had an even shorter role.

Troy Baker thought he was called on to play a Clicker

In a recent chat with Deadline, Baker recalled how showrunner Neil Druckmann revealed the role to him, “Neil was coy about this potential role. He was like, “So, there’s a character that we have in mind for you, if you’re interested. If you don’t feel interested, it’s totally fine.” And I’m like, “Dude, if there’s anything for me….” Look, I thought I was going to be a clicker. So, this is an upgrade. [Laughs]. I was so happy. And then, when reading the script for James, I was like, “OK, there’s a good challenge.”

How did Troy Baker prepare for the role of James?

Baker continued, “I love playing a villain to show you he’s not the villain. Because if I can make you like him for just a second, that makes you hate him even more when I need you to. I love that dance; it’s very appealing to me. So, when it came to approaching James, I asked, “How can we make him not a henchman? How can we make him not just this David’s ‘Thug A,’ and make it so that he has some actual stake in the story?” And for me, it’s all about understanding that every character we meet throughout this story is somehow a reflection of Joel and or Ellie.”

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.”

Read Next: Bella Ramsey will continue playing Ellie in The Last of Us Season 2