Troy Baker is the most recognized voice actor in the world of video games for his talent and charming voice that have allowed him to interpret a lot of characters, but without a doubt the most important of his career is Joel Miller, from The Last of Us. Despite knowing the character from head to toe through the video game, the actor found in the live-action series details of the character that he did not know, but that did not stop him from assimilating and playing another character in the same universe of the franchise, now on the side of the “villains”.
SPOILER: in the next 2 paragraphs we will talk slightly about some characters from episode 8 of the series The Last of Us. so we invite you to stop reading if you have not seen or played the original title or you can skip them and continue reading all the text without spoilers.
LEVEL UP had the opportunity to participate in an interview with Troy Baker, American voice actor who gave life to Joel Miller in the video game The Last of Us and who also participated in the live-action adaptation by playing James, one of the members of the game’s cannibal group. So we took the opportunity to ask him several questions about the project and the franchise in general, which he very kindly answered.
Baker said that being a part of the adaptation was not something he was looking for, but he knew that if the series’ producers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann had a role he could play, they would give him a chance, which they did. Baker said that it would be great to appear in the series and that even with the minimum participation he would be satisfied, but he was surprised when he was given the role of James, a rather relevant character with whom he could do something more, although he confessed that he felt ” rare” to play the “villain” of the protagonist he brought to life in the game.
“I like to play the bad guys. They usually have more dialogue [risas], but for me all the characters have their own story. That’s what I like best about playing bad guys. But if I can get them to like me or at least understand my position, I’ve done my job.”
It is not the first time that Baker has acted as a traditional actor for a TV or film production, but he highlights the opportunity that the series gave him The Last of Us to leave the motion capture suit for a moment and participate in the action of the plot in the real world.
“For me to be there, in a beautiful location, with real snow, wind rushing through real trees on the side of a real river…it was a wonderful moment for me to realize the full circle this thing has come.” and how lucky I’ve been to not only be a part of the game, but also to be able to participate in the conversation on different levels,” said Baker, who was more observant for this project, and a very lucky one, since he hosts the official podcast of the series that episode after episode has allowed him to ask the questions that, like any other fan, he has for those responsible for the project.
Troy Baker got to know Joel better thanks to Pedro Pascal and the HBO series
When asked what he thinks of Pedro Pascal’s work as Joel in the live-action series, he told us that he loves the notion that a new version of something feels original and that there’s a chance to tell the same story again. and it is attractive because it is approached in a unique way and brings something new to what we already know, referring to the magnificent work of Pascal.
“I had the opportunity to play Joel and and I feel like, especially in [The Last of Us] part II, I left everything in the role, I did not save anything. And now it’s Pedro’s turn to show Joel’s version of him,” Baker said.
The actor pointed out 2 elements that he liked about Pascal’s version and, therefore, the image of Joel that the series projects. One of them is the physical side of Joel that he considers he overlooked in the game and the second is the “beautiful vulnerability” that leans towards the version of the TV series, because despite the fidelity that exists to the original material , it is something different.
Joel is like a diamond and its value depends on the person looking at it.
We’ve already talked about the subtle, but important changes the series has made: not the creation of new characters or story arcs that aren’t in the game, but the tweaks to Ellie and Joel’s personality. Baker is obviously aware of them, but acknowledged that they are part of the modifications the adaptation made to the story to make it work on TV the way the game did.
“I think if we wanted to show some of the actions that Pedro is doing in the game it wouldn’t have worked. Because when we’re playing a character, we want them to do something that we can’t and we take these opportunities to explore the story and the emotional action that we have in the game, but in the end you have to heal up and go for infected or hunters or looters.”
In this sense, the HBO series has allowed us to move away from the focus on the protagonists and tell other stories, in addition to presenting other facets of Joel, such as the physical and vulnerable side that Baker refers to, as well as giving him time to “relax and show various parts ” of the character that the game does not show, something that has even made me know the character better.
Joel, a diamond that continues to captivate
Much of the success he achieved The Last of Us it’s the success he got from the resonance players had with the narrative and the decisions Joel made. In that sense, Baker considers Joel to be a gem that players can shine a light on, examine from different angles, and discover all its facets. And in the end they are the ones who give value to the character.
“There are people who discount Joel and see him as a ruffian, a smuggler or a violent man. And there are other people who treasure him and see him as a father, someone who can protect them, take care of them or keep them safe,” said the actor. .
So, with the adaptation and a new version of Joel in charge of Pascal, the opportunity was given to show Joel again under the light so that more people can examine him or that fans of the series, or even him, discover new details. of the character.
“Joel is a gem, in the sense that you can’t just put it under the light and look at it from different angles and see all the facets of it. And in some ways it looks broken. And the value depends on the person looking at it,” he said. Baker.
Troy Baker: criticism and The Last of Us They go hand in hand
In fact, near the end of the interview, Baker told us that he can’t wait for the series to come to an end for fans to reopen the conversation and in a way the controversy that explodes in The Last of Us: Part II.
“I think this story receives criticism because it made people feel something, through the gameplay, the cinematography, the story, the characters. Whenever you receive criticism it is because you are doing something right,” the actor told us, who believes that the story criticism and The Last of Us they are in the same package.
Baker also took the opportunity to praise how well the game works because the gameplay responds fluidly to the needs of the story and not like other games that create a story to justify the implementation of gameplay mechanics.
At the same time, Baker believes that the series is succeeding because the priority is telling the relationship between Ellie and Joel and the time it took for it to grow closer, which, in his words, is where the “beauty” of this story lies.
“That ending is something that causes conflict and people have had to deal with it for almost a decade,” the actor said.
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