The Last of Us star Gabriel Luna shared that his prior roles as Ghost Rider in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and Rev-9 in Terminator: Dark Fate helped him prepare for his part in the highly-anticipated HBO show.
In an interview with CBR, Luna, who plays Tommy in the upcoming HBO adaptation of the popular game, was asked whether he had to undergo any training to help prepare for his role, particularly because the post-apocalyptic world of The Last of Us necessitates physically intensive activities such as fighting and horseback riding. The actor revealed that he actually used a lot of the skills he learnt for previous roles to bring Tommy to life.
"It ended up being a matter of refreshing many of the skills that I've acquired," Luna said. "All the combat training I've ever done -- and whether it be for Matador, for the Ghost Rider, for Terminator or any of those things. I once played a border guard [for] a picture called Transpecos. That experience was very important... to have somewhat of a military experience."
Luna then went on to say that he took a special trip to hone his horseback riding skills in particular before filming, which resulted in a memorable bond being formed with a four-legged friend. "I did take a trip out to my buddy's ranch in Colorado before we started shooting," he said. "I remembered some of the elements of the game and the riding was important. So I went out riding, I got a horse out there named Pepsi, who loves me. She's a sweetheart."
What The Last of Us Fans Can Expect
Based on Naughty Dog's video game of the same name, HBO's The Last of Us follows Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler on a mission to escort a mysterious girl, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), across the United States after an outbreak of a mutant Cordyceps fungus spreads across the country. Being filmed in Alberta from July 2021 to June 2022, The Last of Us is said to be the largest television production in Canadian history.
The first season will run for a total of nine episodes, and features the likes of Merle Dandridge as Fireflies resistance leader Marlene and Anna Torv as Joel's smuggler partner Tess, alongside Pascal, Ramsey and Luna. The show is written by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, with the latter notably being the writer and director for the game. Original game composer Gustavo Santaolalla also returned to work on the show's score.
HBO's The Last of Us is scheduled to premiere on Jan. 15.
Source: CBR