HBO’s highly anticipated TV adaptation of Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed video game The Last of Us is set to premiere on Sunday night, with a live-action version featuring various characters playing the roles of the game’s characters. We find a great performer, but Merle Dandridge will reprise her role as Marlene in the live-action format. Her experience, she admits, was emotional and a little uncomfortable at first.
The series takes place 20 years after the destruction of modern civilization. Joel (Pedro Pascal), a die-hard survivor, has been hired to smuggle her 14-year-old girl named Ellie (Bella Ramsey) out of a repressive quarantine zone. What begins as a small undertaking quickly becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey, as both of them must traverse America and rely on each other to survive.
Dandridge did the narration and motion capture work for both The Last of Us video games, creating the role of Marlene, the leader of the Fireflies. Action HBO series.
Dandridge told TheWrap that from her first audition for the 2013 video game, she was immediately drawn to the character of Marlene, who is tasked with leading a resistance group known as the Fireflies.
“Immediately there was the sincerity and moral compass that this character was really facing his worst nightmare…to see a character so beautiful and richly drawn that it would really move people’s hearts.” “It was a character that meant something to me right away,” she explained. Go to and meet Neil and Troy. [Baker, who played Joel in the games]and we did one of the final scenes of the first game.I knew I had to be a part of it.
Prior to joining ‘The Last of Us’, he had a long career on Broadway in shows like ‘Aida’, ‘Spamalot’, ‘Tarzan’ and ‘Rent’. She also played her role of Alyx Vance in the video games ‘Half-Life 2’, ‘Half-Life 2: Episode One’, ‘Half-Life 2: Episode Two’ and ‘The Orange Box’.
In the decade between the original game’s release and the HBO adaptation, Dandridge returned to Broadway, appearing in ‘Once on This Island’ and appearing in TV shows such as ‘The Night Shift’, ‘Greenleaf’ and ‘Flight Attendant’. Appeared in She appeared in ‘Truth Be Told’ and ‘Station 19’ and reprized her role as Marlene in ‘The Last of Us: Part II’.
“When you have a long career on Broadway, you get to sit in the characters and get to know them on a very intimate level. Spending time getting to know a character and staying there for a long time is something I know very well,” she said. “So Marlene never really left me. …I felt like her essence stayed with me for a long time.”
Dandrige said that by the time the HBO adaptation (co-created and co-run by game creator Neil Druckmann) came out, playing Marlene in front of the camera had “actually become more appropriate.” rice field. Up until that point, however, she admits that she had only seen Marlene through a “certain lens.”
“At first, I was a little uncomfortable actually wearing the clothes, but seeing her physically unraveled for the first time instead of these amazing Naughty Dog artist renderings was very emotional.” “So at first I had a little touch and step on the clutch to make sure I was in the right gear, and then I raced.”
When it comes to navigating the show’s production during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dandridge said the similarities between reality and source material need to be “compartmentalized.” While she believes the HBO adaptation is “timely,” she argued that the real-world pandemic has “hope on the horizon” and “an end in sight.”
“I think the really deep chord touch is that it’s been 20 years and there’s no end in sight and no hope, but suddenly you find a possibility,” she explained.[Marlene] Always hold up that beacon, hold up that mirror to say don’t lose sight of who you were, don’t lose sight of what could be. And that’s a very, very difficult thing to do in 20 years of not knowing for sure. ”
Dandridge serves as a familiar face to fans of the source material, though the character has revealed some minor differences in the HBO adaptation.
“I think one of the biggest things is the chance to meet her in a new situation and see the different flavors of her sense of humor in some ways. “You can see a kind of fatigue around it to get a better sense of it,” Dandridge said. You’ll get a whole picture with a tinge of color, which I think fans will really appreciate.”
Dandridge isn’t the only video game actor to appear in The Last of Us. Jeffrey Pierce (Tommy), Troy Baker (Joel), and Ashley Johnson (Ellie) all have roles in the HBO series, but they’re not playing the same characters again.
When asked about his message to new fans, Dandridge said, “I’m glad and grateful that viewers from other worlds have the opportunity to experience the story.”
“I hope it piques their interest in all the beautiful work that’s going on in the gaming realm,” she said. It tells an emotional, visceral, and important human story that squeezes your heart and gives you the perfect opportunity to turn inward and really make you think, think, and rethink.”
As for the game’s fans, she urged them to set aside their fears about the series.
“I’ve seen it a lot. Even when I wasn’t working, I would sit back and watch, but seeing the love and artistry in everything from the set decorations to the props made my whole psyche come alive.” “It was heightened,” she said. [fans’] Passion for materials. This is a love letter to the fans created by people who love and are fans of the material. ”
“The Last of Us” premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday at 9:00 PM ET.
