Curiosities of The Last of Us
Behind this impactful story and its success, there are endless curiosities that make the experience even more fascinating. From the secrets of its production to the inspirations that shaped this universe, from reality to science fiction.
Here I invite you to discover some of these curiosities that you may not have known.
Inspiring books and films
The post-apocalyptic landscapes of the game and series are influenced by Alan Weisman's book The World Without Us, which imagines how nature would reclaim Earth if humans disappeared.
Other inspirations included films such as 28 Days Later, True Grit, The Road, and the series The Walking Dead.
Real inspirations behind the apocalypse
The Cordyceps fungus, which infects humans, turning them into violent creatures, is inspired by a real one that affects insects, altering their behavior, controlling them, and causing their death.
Druckmann and his team wondered what would happen if it evolved to infect humans and added the impact of global warming as a trigger to make this mutation more plausible.
Additionally, they drew inspiration from historical epidemics like polio to reflect how pandemics cause fear, militarization, and social collapse.
Film vs. series
Naughty Dog considered adapting it as a film, but as Druckmann explained, the cinematic approach wouldn't work. The emotional depth and slow character development, which are the soul of the work, did not fit into a feature film.
The project was discarded, and the key decision was made to create a series to capture the essence of the video game, allowing the story to be explored in depth and respecting its pace.
Details replicated from the video game to the series
One of the greatest achievements was its faithfulness to the video game. Fans were delighted with the recreation of iconic scenes, dialogues, and objects from the original material, so if you are a fan of the games you have probably noticed it, but, if not, here are some of the most notable:
· The exact recreation of the initial chaos in Texas.
· The first conversation between Joel and Ellie, with the same script as in the video game.
· The presence of Ellie's iconic knife.
·The costumes, faithful to the video game designs.
These details not only honored the original work but also showed a deep commitment to the fans.
Ephemeral settings
With a record budget, they managed to recreate the devastated landscapes and oppressive atmosphere of the video game, and, to make it more realistic, they built enormous apocalyptic sets that were only used once, such as the quarantine zone, where only one episode was developed, or the interior of the Capitol. The most notable was used in episode two, where a character appears in the lobby of a flooded hotel with water up to their waist, a scene that lasts barely a minute, approximately.
Infected training camp
A group of specialists was hired to teach the extras how to act like infected. Lessons ranged from making guttural sounds to walking with strange movements.
From spores to bites
In the video game, the fungus spread through airborne spores, requiring gas masks for protection. In the series, this idea was discarded as it would have limited the actors' performances and reduced the emotional impact of the scenes. In the series, it is transmitted through bites, making interactions with the infected more intimate and terrifying.
An accident that made it into the edit
During a scene where Joel had to carry Ellie, the actor unexpectedly tripped over an object on the set. Although the crew stopped filming to make sure both were okay, they thought the stumble added vulnerability and realism to the scene, so they decided to leave it in the final edit.
The extreme cold of filming
Most of the series was filmed in Canada, making it the largest television production in that country's history. There, the team faced sub-zero temperatures during several scenes. Pascal confessed that there were times when the cold was so intense that it was difficult for him to speak, but these conditions helped reflect the somber and desolate atmosphere of the world of The Last of Us.
The mystery of the Giraffe
Despite being completely real, for some reason, the giraffe that appears in the last episode looked computer-generated, just like the post-apocalyptic background.
The most dangerous
The most feared and dangerous infected in the video game could barely move in the series because of the suit, moving in a very particular, jerky way, as if they were a puppet of the parasite. In addition, it was so hot that they constantly had to give water to the actor so that he would not faint.
Did the actors play the video game?
Pascal and Ramsey faced the challenge of portraying characters beloved by fans, and each took a different approach to their preparation:
o Pedro Pascal (Joel), tried to play the video game to familiarize himself with his character but admitted that he "wasn't particularly good at it." Thus, he chose to closely observe his nephew playing, studying Joel's gestures, voice, and personality to capture his essence. He commented that he didn't want to imitate him, but rather to convey the same emotional weight and toughness that defined him.
oBella Ramsey (Ellie), confessed to not having played it, but researched the game material and relied on the narrative guides provided by the series creators to build a fresh and natural version of Ellie.
The bond of Joel and Ellie
The relationship between the protagonists is the heart of the story, and part of its authenticity comes from Druckmann's personal experiences. He confessed that his relationship with his daughter was a great inspiration for their dynamic, especially regarding Joel's feelings.
Recognizing success
The first season of the series already stood out among specialized critics, earning 24 Emmy nominations. Among them was Keivonn Woodard (Sam), who, at 10 years old, became the youngest deaf actor nominated in the category Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
