Comedian Nick Offerman says that he doesn’t quite understand how he got the role in HBO Max’s The Last of Us. In an interview with IGN, he said that other good actors were busy that day.
The TV series adaptation of the PlayStation video game The Last of Us has been getting a lot of buzz. Not only because of the increasing number of viewers, but also the incredible performance of Nick Offerman. He and Murray Bartlett were the main lead in the latest episode titled “Long, Long Time.”
Offerman is known as a comedian. He starred in Parks and Recreation, and recently, he’s been in Peacock’s The Resort. But he has shown a lot of incredible range, with doing voice acting, doing dramatic roles, hosting and more. I enjoyed his performance when I watched him in The Founder.
Many wonder how he got the role in The Last of Us. Offerman said in a quick interview with IGN:
@ign Could they really have found a better actor for Bill though? #thelastofus #tlou #thelastofushbo #nickofferman
Nick Offerman Got The Role In The Last Of Us Because Of His Wife
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Craig Mazin, co-creator and writer of The Last of Us series, also wrote HBO’s Chernobyl. Mazin is also known for writing The Hangover Part II and III. His upcoming work includes the movie adaptation of the video game Borderlands.
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Offerman did say that he took the role because his wife, Megan Mullally, loved the script. She insisted on him going to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where The Last of Us was being filmed.
In the game, the player focuses on Joel and Ellie. On the HBO Max TV series, the characters are played by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
While the first two episodes focused on the leads, the latest episode focused on another set of characters, Bill and Frank, played by Offerman and Bartlett. Bartlett is known for Welcome to Chippendales, The White Lotus, and Tales of the City.
The video game never really dove into the story of Bill and Frank. You only get a portion of the story, from Bill’s point of view. This episode dove into that backstory.
Somehow, it feels like this is something the writers have been wanting to tell for a long time. It gave that new perspective that many fans of the game didn’t expect.
Some may not have liked it because it did divert from how the game was told. But many appreciated the episode, it gave us the reason why Bill is how he is in the game.
Nick Offerman’s Performance In The Last Of Us Was Outstanding
Credit: HBO Max
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The latest episode of The Last of Us has made another incredible feat by increasing its viewers. We’ve reported before that the second episode already broke records by adding 22% of viewers from the series debut. The latest episode has increased another 12% from episode two.
“Long, Long Time” is a standalone episode. It’s not required to follow the story of Joel and Ellie. So, for people who want to focus on the main characters, you can skip this. But Offerman and Bartlett’s performances stand out, and that is worth the watch.
I, for one, needed this. This is one of the best adaptations of a video game I’ve ever seen. And so far, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckman’s work on the show have impressed me.
Even though the majority of the show is very identical to the game, I love the fact that it showed some side of the characters that we never got to see in the game.
The series has already been greenlit for a second season.
What do you think of Nick Offerman playing Bill in The Last of Us? Do you think the series could have done without it? Or is it an episode that we needed to see? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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