SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for “The Last of Us,” Season 2, Episode 3, now streaming on Max.
If the second episode of “The Last of Us” Season 2 dealt a tragic blow to both viewers and Jackson’s survivors, Episode 3 is when everyone gets to take a collective breath and begin to piece together the consequences of Joel being murdered, and what might happen next.
“There’s a bit of processing to be done,” says Gabriel Luna, who plays Joel’s brother Tommy. “It’s an interesting one, because the town is still feeling the devastation of what happened back home to Jackson, but also losing such an important element, not only just to the community of Jackson, but our family. The true patriarch of it all is gone.”
With Joel (Pedro Pascal) dead, Tommy’s in the position of presiding over Jackson’s recovery while dealing with his own grief. And he knows it won’t be all smooth sailing going forward, as Ellie (Bella Ramsey) leaves the hospital and formulates her plans for avenging Joel.
One way Tommy tries to make sense of Ellie is by seeking out the counsel of the town’s therapist, Gail. Their conversation was a meaningful one for Luna, who worked with Catherine O’Hara on another HBO project, 2010’s “Temple Grandin.” “We took this photograph in the hair and makeup trailer that I cherished for so long. And then I was able to recreate the photograph on this set, which was really funny, and I even had our makeup artist, Rebecca, stand in the same position that the makeup artist was standing in this picture that we took in Austin, Texas 15 years ago,” Luna said.
Luna spoke with Variety about crafting the episode’s opening scene in the Jackson morgue, how Tommy is navigating his responsibility over Ellie and what Tommy was looking to get out of that interaction with Gail.
Courtesy of HBO
The episode opens with Tommy going to see Joel’s body. Tommy doesn’t break down, but you can tell he’s in pain. Can you tell me about calibrating the right emotional reaction for that scene?
I remember chewing it on the day. It was directed by Peter Hoar, who did the “Long, Long Time” episode, so I knew I was in great hands when it comes to the emotional quality of it all. I do know that there were a couple takes where there was a full breakdown, but I’m really happy with the restraint of Timothy Good, our editor. There’s a lot of anger there but also a little bit of solace in the idea that Joel is with Sarah, he’s with my niece, he’s with his daughter, for whatever that’s worth. Losing him is an immense, huge loss.
When I was there on the night, every take was a different emotional reaction. And it was interesting what was ultimately chosen in editing. But I think it’s right, there’s just a lot of fury there when I see just the damage that was done.
There’s a bit of a resignation to the fact that Tommy’s a character that’s seen a lot of death. I’m kind of happy with what was chosen. It’s more of a resolute type response to losing the only blood you have on Earth. And as we’ll see moving forward what that resolve leads to. We shot that, and there was a lot more dialogue in that scene, I’m glad they cut that too, because what more do you need to say other than “Give Sarah my love”?
During production, how did things change after Pedro Pascal left?
Well, he’s a beautiful actor who has a very busy schedule, and it was funny because we shot all that but we were block shooting, so different stuff that happened earlier in the season happens later. So we would know that he would return. It didn’t feel like too much of a forever goodbye.
But it certainly felt in the moment when I was shooting the scene in the morgue, the sense of the transition into Bella Ramsey’s stewardship, into Kaitlyn Dever’s stewardship, to my own and the people who would be carrying this story forward. And just to honor everything Pedro did, he did absolutely gorgeous work on this show, gave so much of himself to it.
In the dialogue that was cut, it was all about how, “Ellie, she’s hurt. She’s hurt real bad. She’s going to be all right. I’ll take care of her,” and as I’m saying these words, I remember thinking, “Wow, this is as much of the moment of the story as it is about the production itself.”
By the time Ellie gets out of the hospital, how do you think Tommy has been processing Joel’s death?
It’s about how much he’s responsible for those that remain. [They] need him, and they need all of him, and part of him needs to let it go because he is that person in his heart. His spirit is one of life and moving forward and trying to find a way to survive and to thrive and to grow and to be in this positive, progressive state. If he holds on to that, the only people that suffer are his wife and his son. And then everyone else who relies on him. But as we’ll see, as we move into the story, he’s now duty bound to Ellie, who is now his charge.
What is it like acting opposite Bella Ramsey?
Bella is my hero, and they are one of the most beautiful, talented, just emotionally mature people that I know. When you’re working at any given point, it’s just like, “I want to be there to catch you.” They’re always there for me, to catch me and everyone else around them. It’s so easy to love them. That is Tommy and Ellie’s relationship, it’s one of love and pride and who they are and how strong they are. But also their strength and ability will be what will carry them to their own demise if I don’t step in, if I don’t try to manage it and help them.
Even though Tommy doesn’t necessarily condone Ellie’s plan to go after the killers, he still says that he’ll back up her proposal at the town hall. Why do you think that is?
Individually, he wants to enact justice himself. If the town chooses and if it goes through the process, and we decided we needed to do it, then he’s justified in doing it. So he absolutely votes yes, let’s go, against all his better judgment, against the will of his wife, against — even though I think Maria also votes yes — which is interesting. He’s allowed at this point to go pursue these dark feelings because he knows he’s capable of doing what they’re setting out to do.
That was an interesting scene because originally, my son, Ezra, is there feeding the chickens while I am being so hesitant about it. But he got sick that day, like he was literally projectile, Linda Blair, green vomit. So he’s not in this scene, so it kind of changes it a little bit. The whole scene, I’m playing it, I’m watching my son feed these chickens, and that’s the only reason it would keep me there. It’s difficult, I think a little bit of the intention gets lost just because of the events and how it all got played out on the day and how we had to shoot. But when I’m talking to Ellie, and I’m like, “Of course,” and in those words, “of course,” the subtext there is, “I love you, you’re mine, and I’ll do what I have to do for you and for us and to get the resolution that we need.”
Courtesy of HBO
How does the conversation on the baseball field with Gail after the town hall then affect Tommy’s understanding of Ellie?
It’s mostly about trying to forecast the storm, like what will she do? What will Ellie do? She’s always described by [“The Last of Us” co-creator] Craig [Mazin] and everyone around us as a force of nature. And that is true to the character, and that’s true to the performer Bella Ramsey. And it’s just trying to understand, now that she’s awoken from this coma, and now the true process and the true act of stewardship and paternal involvement and duty kicks in and now trying to figure it out: how far will she take this, and can she be saved? Can I keep her here with us, and can she be happy living with this for the rest of her life having witnessed that? I’m just seeking some type of reason to deny her that, to deny her the revenge she seeks and the justice she seeks, and also to deny myself the very same.
The desires that we share, to go and make this right somehow for us individually. That discussion, it’s as much about Ellie as it is about Tommy. It’s like, is there some outside perspective that aligns with our pursuit?
Gail’s got her own experience with my family, with Joel, with what’s happened. It’s really interesting, ‘cause Tommy definitely has never been to therapy, and this is his first session, and [he’s] sitting outside watching these kids fall down on the baseball field. It’s personally — for me, as an actor — one of the great gifts to work with Catherine O’Hara and have that scene.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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