"Hi, Burak. Nice to meet you! I really appreciate you reaching out. It's a pleasure to get a chance to communicate with TLOU fans in Turkey. Thanks for making it happen."
- Do you have any challenging or interesting memories from shooting Tommy's mocap and voice-over scenes in The Last of Us?
"I think I remember every moment from shooting the MOCAP and the booth recording sessions for both games. When an experience hits all the marks—the degree of difficulty, the quality of the material, the work being done by the other actors, the trust you have with the director and writer—it stays with you, almost as much as having the actual experience would. So, as you can imagine, all of the experiences in TLOU left a mark, but in the best way possible."
2) Do you feel that Tommy is a character you can relate to? Do you think you share similar traits with him?
"Tommy is close to me in a lot of ways. Neil really catered to my strengths, so when I sit into his voice and accent, the work feels really easy. I'm not playing 'myself', but I think Neil instinctively saw ways that I could live Tommy's empathy while also abandoning it in Part II. I think there is a lot of Neil in Tommy, too, which is why he and I get along."
3) How did you react when you first learned that Joel was going to die in the story?
"I was shocked when Neil Druckmann told me that Joel was going to die, but in the best way possible. It was exciting to know something that bold was going to lead into a story that explored how vengeance, even if it feels righteous at the outset, becomes a self-destructive act. It's what makes TLOU II great storytelling, instead of just a great game. The power of it lies in the fact that without changing a thing in Part One, when you replay the first game the experience is changed, a new level of depth in all the relationships is layered in."
4) Were any scenes filmed depicting Tommy's three days in Seattle?
"No. We didn't shoot any scenes that ended up cut."
5) Which scene in The Last of Us series is your favorite or holds the most special meaning for you?
"I love it all. I love Joel and Tommy's reunion at the dam. I love the goodbye at the house before Joel and Ellie continue. I love the opening of Part II: 'Jesus Christ, Joel... What'd you do?' — 'I saved her...' I love the scene with Ellie when I tell her not to go to Seattle, then I go. I love teaching Ellie to shoot the sniper rifle, the reunion at the theater, and the farmhouse scene where I try to force her to go after Abby. I love all of them individually."
6) Have you played both The Last of Us games to completion? In Part II, who do you think was right: Abby or Ellie?
"I've played both multiple times, and talking about it now, I want to replay now! 🙂 Nobody is right. I think that's what makes the story ring true. A wise woman once told me, 'The more righteous you feel, the more wrong you probably are.' Great, difficult stories are vital to our ability to be complete human beings. Yes, some people turned away from the games because of Joel's death and how angry it made them. The good news is, the story will still be there for them when they are able to digest the entire thing."
7) What is it like acting in video games? How does it differ from acting in films or theater?
"Acting in games is no different than acting on stage or in a film. You have to be a complete actor—voice, body, character, text, subtext, behavior—but as long as you have honed those tools, it's the same skill set."
8) What was it like working with Naughty Dog and Neil Druckmann?
"Neil and the Dogs are the best. I don't have a definitive behind-the-scenes story, but when you show up to set or the sound booth or a catch-up dinner, it feels like coming home to family."
9) Will we be able to play as Tommy in either of the two The Last of Us games Naughty Dog is currently developing? Is Ellie's story over? Also, what do you think about fans who want to see a prequel telling the story of Joel and Tommy's past?
"I don't think there is a TLOU without Ellie, but I have no idea! I would love it if Tommy showed up in future games there, but, with 100% honesty, I have no clue if that's going to happen. (If I did know, I would just say 'No comment'.) I've seen the online conjecture, but none of that is coming from Neil or Naughty Dog and until that happens, take any 'breaking news' with a grain of salt. If it happens, I'll be overjoyed. If it doesn't, I'll be stoked to experience whatever story they create."
To the Turkish TLOU community:
"What an age we live in, where we can connect across the globe and share a story around a digital campfire.
We live in some dark times right now, but there is the possibility to come together via stories, see our common humanity with all its faults and contradictions, and leave that experience better than before we went in.
With love and respect to you all,"
— Jeffrey Pierce
(More than 60 questions were submitted; it was impossible for me to ask them all. From these, I selected the 9 that I felt people were most curious about and posed them. I apologize to those whose questions I could not include :/)
