Troy Baker Was Surprised to Be Included in HBO’s The Last of Us: ‘I Would Be Happy’ to Play a Clicker

Troy Baker may be deeply embedded into The Last of Us’ legacy, having originated the lead role of Joel Miller in the games, but his involvement in the hit HBO series wasn’t a given.

In an interview with IGN (see more here) about his role in the penultimate episode of Season 1, Baker revealed that it was “kind of a surprise” to him when he was asked to play James, a member of a group of survivors that Joel and Ellie run into.

“If there was a role for me to play in the show, then great, but it wasn’t definite,” he said. “It wasn’t something that was guaranteed and it wasn’t something that I was even necessarily seeking. It was just like, ‘If you guys feel that you have a spot for me then I’d happily do it.’ I would be happy if I’d just been a clicker.”

It’s a good thing HBO didn’t take him up on that, however, because he added that he would’ve made “a terrible clicker, by the way.” Still, when game creator Neil Druckmann and showrunner Craig Mazin came to Baker to offer him the role of James, he didn’t immediately realize who they were talking about, until he remembered “oh, right, buddy boy, the guy with the hat.”

There were also rumors that Baker would be playing David, a role that eventually went to Scott Shepherd.

“That would’ve just been too kitschy,” Baker said. “That would’ve been too on the nose.”

For more on HBO’s The Last of Us, check out our spoiler-free Season 1 review.

Matt Kim contributed to this report.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.