Central to Ellie and Joel’s journey across America in The Last of Us is how the pair grow from fearful strangers thrown together unexpectedly into a surrogate family for each other. Players can witness for themselves how that parent-child bond grows through The Last of Us Part I, while viewers also watched as a new version of this couple takes shape in The Last of Us on HBO. But regardless of the medium, that central relationship is the bedrock of this first chapter in The Last of Us story.
With the HBO series just wrapping up its first season and The Last of Us Part I available now for PlayStation 5 console and for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store (available March 28, 2023), we’re back -the-scenes series Building The Last of Us next takes a look at how Joel and Ellie’s relationship grows throughout the game and show.
Watch the video below to hear and read about Neil Druckmann, Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, who originally starred as Ellie and Joel, respectively, as well as Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, who appeared as a couple on the HBO series Continue to learn more Creative. And be sure to check out our full Building The Last of Us series for a glimpse into The Last of Us’ unforgettable opening, how TLOU’s clickers continue to scare us, and how the cruel world of The Last of Us is brought to life.
As the story of The Last of Us Part I and its TV adaptation begins, Joel is put in charge of Ellie to get her out of the Boston QZ and to safety, but the setup isn’t ideal for either party.
“These two characters are at odds with each other and they’re forced to be together, and you can tell neither of them wants it,” said Neil Druckmann, co-president of Naughty Dog and The Last of Us on HBO. “It’s more explicit in the show than in the game because we found it in the game during development.”
The two characters come from different worldviews, different relationships to this post-pandemic world, and different points in their lives, and as such, they’re not necessarily happy about being forced together. But there’s a clear realization early on in the way these characters relate to each other.
“Joel’s relationships early in the story have everything to do with what motivates him, what keeps him going. The relationship with his brother, the loss of his daughter… there are very few things in life, you know, that help him remember that he’s a real person or that a real heart is beating in his chest that makes him empowers really dark things,” Joel actor Pedro Pascal told the HBO series. “And then he meets Ellie, who is more like him than anyone else, and [she] will reignite the essence of its identity and purpose.”
“Growing up in Boston QZ with a bunch of other kids in the FEDRA education system, [Ellie is just] She’s one of the crowd and has no idea of a future as to what to do with her life,” said HBO series Ellie actress Bella Ramsey. “And once she finds out that she has that immunity, she feels like she belongs here. She feels like she has a purpose.”
And though it’s unspoken, the two form a bond over a shared fear – of ending up alone in this cruel world.
“When we first meet Ellie, Joel doesn’t know anything about her and I can see without knowing who she is that she’s like one [jerk]. But it’s a bit of a front. Her biggest fear is ending up alone,” Ramsey explained. “She [feels] Just like Joel does because Ellie is afraid to put her trust in anyone and rely on their constant presence for fear that one day it will just stop and she will end up alone.”
The duo transitions from unhappy excursions together to a deep caring for each other, like father and daughter.
“Joel and Ellie have become a metaphor for the connection a parent feels for their child, and it’s that very primal feeling that can override a lot of other motivations and goals,” Druckmann said.
Evoking that relationship is a task that two other actors know well – Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker played Ellie and Joel respectively in the games of The Last of Us and have the unique position of accommodating these characters, whom they first created over a decade ago Time to relive life with the show.
“It is [almost as if we’ve] I’ve been waiting for this moment where Bella can bring this character to the big screen because it’s like Ellie the video game character coming to life,” Johnson said.
“I had one goal [in watching] the show: Teach me something new about Joel,” Baker explained. “What did I miss? Because I felt like I passed over it [character] with a fine comb… and Pedro did that in Episode 1, and he continues to do that in Episode 9.”
The Last of Us in game form immerses players in the experiences of its core relationship, allowing players to be directly involved in every tense encounter, every momentary relief when the duo think they’ve found safety, and of course choosing to listen to all the Ellies puns. While Ellie and Joel encounter other survivors along their journey, it was a conscious choice never to deviate from their story.
“We gave ourselves this rule when we made [the original game]everything is seen from either Joel’s perspective or Ellie’s perspective and that’s it because we want you to spend a lot of time with them, move from room to room in real time and become yourself,” explained Druckmann.
The show, as a non-interactive form of the story, offers deeper insights into some of the characters involved in Joel and Ellie’s journey in a way that reinforces the ideas and reflects how important relationships with others can be in a life of survival .
“With the show [only offering Joel and Ellie’s perspective] wouldn’t have worked. Instead we had an opportunity to break away from our main characters and hook into these other characters… and I’ve now heard from a couple of people who saw the whole show and went back to play the game and they said, the game feels richer now that I’ve seen the show,” said Druckmann.
But whatever form it takes, the story of The Last of Us returns to its core – the relationship at the heart of their journey and what it represents.
“I think both versions of the story ultimately have a similar conversation about love,” Druckmann said, echoing a sentiment shared by Johnson and Baker that both watching and playing lead to a deeper understanding of the characters and themes, that occur in history.”
“This is where Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann came together and said, ‘How do we keep the integrity of the story and bring it to life on screen?’ … and they honored the game in a big way,” Johnson said. “In a way it’s a companion, but you’re going to have two different experiences with the show and a different experience with the game.”
“They had an opportunity to explore the same moments and the same emotional beats in a different way,” Baker said. “It’s not an either/or. It is yes/and. It does both. Play the game then watch the show, or watch the show and then play the game.”
“These are such unique experiences, [but] People who experience both are going to get the richest version of this story… these things can live side by side and talk to each other and enrich each other,” Druckmann said. And whether you’ve seen and played, just experienced one version, or want to re-immerse yourself in the world of The Last of Us, the series’ first season is now streaming on HBO Max. And The Last of Us Part I is available for PS5 and for pre-purchase on Steam and the Epic Games Store (available March 28, 2023). To find out more, be sure to check out our latest look at The Last of Us Part I on PC specs and features.
