HBO’s highly anticipated television adaptation of Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed video game “The Last of Us” is set to premiere Sunday evening, and while the live-action version gets a variety of actors to fill the roles of the game’s characters , Merle Dandridge was assigned to reprise her role as Marlene in live-action form. An experience she admits was emotional and a little uncomfortable at first.
The series takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle a 14-year-old girl named Ellie (Bella Ramsey) out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What begins as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both have to cross America and depend on each other to survive.
Dandridge did voiceover and motion capture work on both the “Last of Us” video game, originating the role of Marlene, leader of the Fireflies, and she spoke about the “emotional” experience of stepping back into Marlene’s shoes for Live. Talked to TheWrap – The 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 called the Fireflies.
“Immediately there was an integrity and a moral compass that this character was really being confronted with her worst nightmare … To see a character who was so beautifully, richly drawn, who was such a was in a situation that, I think, would really move people’s hearts, it was a character that immediately meant something to me,” she explained. “When I met Neil and heard he wanted to tell these stories, and then go to the audition room, 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, that these storytellers were going to do something that was going to move the needle.
Prior to joining “The Last of Us,” Dandridge had a long career working on Broadway in shows including “Aida,” “Spamalot,” “Tarzan” and “Rent.” He played Alex Vance in the video games “Half-Life 2,” “Half-Life 2: Episode One,” “Half-Life 2: Episode Two,” and “The Orange Box.”
In the 10 years between the release of the first play and the HBO adaptation, Dandridge returned to Broadway to appear in “Once on This Island,” television shows including “The Night Shift,” “Greenleaf,” “The Flight Attendant,” starred in. “Truth Be Told” and reprized the role of Marlene for “Station 19” and “The Last of Us: Part II”.
“After a long Broadway career, you get to sit and mingle with the characters and get to know them on a very intimate level. Eight shows a week for maybe a year, maybe more. Spending time and getting to know a character over a long period of time and being in it is something I am familiar with,” she said. “So Marlene never really left me … I felt like her essence stayed with me for that long.”
Dandridge said that by the time the HBO adaptation came out (which was co-produced and co-starred by game producer Neil Druckmann), she had “really become more apt” to play Marlene in front of the camera. due in.” However, up to that point, she believes that she will only take on Marlene through a “certain lens”.
He admitted, “It was a bit of a hassle the first time actually getting dressed and doing it was quite emotional the first time they were physically articulated rather than presented by these amazing Naughty Dog actors.” “So at first it was a bit of touch and go on the clutch, making sure I was in the right gear and then it was off to the races.”
When it came to navigating production on the show during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dandridge said the similarities between reality and source material had to be “compartmentalized”. While she believes that HBO’s adaptation is “timely”, Dandridge argued that there was “hope on the horizon” and an “end in sight” in the real-world pandemic.
“I think what would really touch a deep chord is what it’s like to be 20 years in and there’s no end in sight and no hope and then all of a sudden you get a possibility,” she explained. ,[Marlene] Constantly holding up that beacon, holding up that mirror saying don’t lose sight of who you were, don’t lose sight of what you could have been. And that’s a very difficult thing to do in 20 years when you don’t know for sure.
Although Dandridge will serve as a familiar face for fans of the source material, she revealed that the character will have some minor differences in HBO’s adaptation.
“I think one of the biggest things is the opportunity to see him in new situations and in some ways to see different flavors of his sense of humor. To understand, we get to see a kind of weariness around it,” Dandridge said. “And then further down the line in the season, you’ll get more glimpses of her and who she is, which I think fans would be a real treat for.”
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 aren’t reprising their same characters.
When asked about his message to new fans, Dandridge said he was “happy and grateful that a whole world of audiences will have the opportunity to experience the story.”
“I hope they pique their interest for all the beautiful things that are happening in gaming,” she said. “We’re not doing Frogger and Asteroid these days. We’re telling deep, emotional, important human stories that have great opportunity to tug at your heart and turn you inward and really ponder and think and rethink.
For fans of the game, she urged them to clear any apprehensions they may have about the series.
“I watched it a lot. I hunkered down and I watched — even when I wasn’t working — and my whole soul lit up when I’d see the love and artistry from the set decorations to the props,” she said. “Every little detail is covered in a way that equals [fans’] Passion for the source material. This is a love letter to fans created by people who love and are fans of the content.
“The Last of Us” premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
