Nick Offerman, who played Bill in HBO's The Last of Us, revealed in a recent interview that he's never played the game. Developed by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us was first released in 2013, receiving acclaim from players and critics alike for its exciting gameplay and compelling story.
In The Last of Us episode 3 titled "Long, Long Time," Offerman, along with Murray Bartlett as Frank, touched fans' hearts as they portrayed the untold story of the two men's partnership while living in their trap-protected home in Lincoln, Massachusetts. The episode received a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is the second-highest rating the series has received on the website so far since premiering in January.
Offerman received much praise for his performance as Bill in episode 3, but the actor also admitted that he's actually never played The Last of Us himself. In an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he said that the last video game he indulged on was Banjo-Kazooie, which was 25 years ago, saying that he "lost weeks" and regretted spending so much time on it when he finished the game. He swore to himself that he wouldn't do it again, especially now that video games like The Last of Us have leveled up because the actor would have been "in a basement" and not be able to audition for the show. Offerman previously said in a red carpet interview that he has not played many video games since his late 20s, but he recounted that some of his favorites were Joust and Galaga.
Even though he didn't experience Bill's original story in the game, The Last of Us fans seemed to agree that Offerman did a great job at bringing the character to life in the retelling of Bill and Frank's story. However, there were also many people who weren't fond of the decision to change the story in the series, which The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann and showrunner Craig Maizin explained that it was meant to remind Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) to live for others.
Since the premiere of the HBO adaptation, The Last of Us games saw an uptick in sales as many curious viewers might have purchased them to experience the original story for themselves, and perhaps prepare themselves for the second season by playing The Last of Us Part 2. Fans might even see another sales milestone once the first game releases for PC this coming March, which is an exciting time for the Naughty Dog team.
The Last of Us Part 1 is currently available on PlayStation 5, with a PC version scheduled to release on March 3, 2023.
