The OG Joel, Troy Baker, Has a Lot to Say About Pedro Pascal in The Last of Us
For almost a decade, fans knew Joel in The Last of Us as one man: Troy Baker. The voice actor has been the man behind the voice since The Last of Us first became an international phenomenon in 2013. But 10 years since the video game went viral, Troy Baker has passed the mantle onto Pedro Pascal who now plays Joel in the hit HBO adaptation of the game.
And there’s only one way to summarize how Baker feels about his successor: he approves. Video game adaptations have rarely succeeded in recent years, but The Last of Us seems to be the exception to the rule. The show has massive approval ratings among critics and fans alike, and even the most loyal video game players can find little fault in the new series. Including Baker. Pedro is killing it as Joel, but Baker is still the OG. It’s a notion he loves in a not-boastful way. Baker created the blueprint for Joel, which anyone can take and make their own.
ALSO READ:
The Last of Us: A Complete Guide to the Post-Apocalyptic World and Lore
The Last of Us Season 2: Everything We Know So Far
“I really think that's what Pedro has done here. I got my opportunity to play Joel and I feel like especially with [The Last of Us] Part 2, I left everything on the dance floor. And now it's his turn to show the world just [how] beautifully, wonderfully tragic [Joel is]. And I think what Pedro brings to it is a physicality that in some ways I overlooked and this beautiful vulnerability that really leans into this version of the story,” explained Troy Baker during a roundtable interview.
Baker’s Joel and Pedro’s Joel parallel each other, but they aren’t mirrors of each other. True fans will note the minute differences between the two and how they’ve only added to the story. After all, the best remakes and adaptations reinvent the original work instead of merely copying it.
“If we had tried to show some of the things [in the game] that Pedro was doing [in the show], it wouldn't have worked,” explained Baker. At the end of the day, the video game functions on hunting Infected and raiders from one perspective, while the show gave all characters a shot at screen time to develop their characters.
“That takes some of the onus off of one single character, and it's really allowed Joel to stretch and show different parts of him,” said Baker.
Pedro’s used that privilege to his advantage, and it showed from the premiere.
Pedro Pascal as Joel in The Last of US series
"But there is just this ease that he has that I really, really find compelling. And it starts with Episode One. The way he eats those eggs. I was like, ‘Man, that's good.’ There's something that pivotal shows me that I learned more about Joel,” shared Baker.
Despite playing Joel for years, the actor discovered a new depth to Joel by watching Pedro Pascal’s take on the character. The show’s given him a new level of understanding to Joel, and in true Troy Baker fashion, the voice actor had something profound to say about it.
“Without sounding too glib, I really do think of Joel as a jewel in the sense that not only can you hold it up to the light and examine him from many different angles and see all of the different facets—and in some ways, it looks broken. And in other ways you realize that it has inherent strength but the value of that thing is based solely on the people examining it,” said Baker.
“There are some people who discount Joel and see him as a thug and a smuggler and a violent man. And then there are other people that hold him in the highest regard and see him as a father and someone who can protect them, care for them, and ultimately keep them safe.”
Troy Baker as James in The Last of Us series
After spending 12 years thinking and breathing Joel, it’s no surprise that the character is a huge part of Troy Baker’s life. The actor shared that between filming Part 1 and Part 2 of the video games, he missed him deeply in the brief break between shooting. There’s no denying that everyone who worked on the Naughty Dog games loved Joel, and seeing him be brought to life on the TV screen has been monumental for everyone involved.
“To see the show being made [after] all of the development that happened before, and to see that there's not just me or Neil [Druckmann], but now there's Craig [Mazin] and Pedro [Pascal] and all of these people now, looking at that jewel through a different light and putting that on display. That to me has been a holy revelation of who Joel is, and that's all that I want. It was for someone to show me something different, and damn if Pedro doesn't do that every episode,” said Baker.
Unlike a lot of video game adaptations, the original creators of the games have been heavily involved in the TV adaptation. Baker played James, an antagonist, in Episode 8, “When We Are In Need,” and he even hosts the official after-show podcast that breaks down every episode. The Last of Us was made with a lot of love, and it shows. From the beginning, the show was in safe hands. As for Joel, it’s Pedro Pascal’s watch now.
