[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 of The Last of Us.]
The seven-episode second season of the HBO seriesThe Last of Ustakes place five years after the events of the first season, with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) living with a community of survivors in Jackson, Wyoming, alongside Joel’s brother Tommy(Gabriel Luna) and his wife Maria (Rutina Wesley). Tommy and Maria are two of the leaders, but they’re also parents to Benjamin who is a big priority for them. And while their community stays prepared and ready to deal with whatever might come their way in this post-apocalyptic world, they may not be as ready for what’s coming as they think they are.
During this interview with Collider, co-stars Luna and Wesley discussed the dynamic between Tommy and Ellie, the kind of leader Maria is, keeping their son safe, the biggest threat to this community, whether this community is prepared for what’s coming, why Maria handled things at the dance the way she did, and the array of emotions this season.
Check back for more interviews with the cast and creators every day this week.
Tommy Is Proud of How Ellie Has Grown in Season 2 of ‘The Last of Us’
“You’ve got to celebrate the prowess.”
Collider: Gabriel, nothing says bonding moment like using sniper rifles to kill Infected. What was it like to shoot that moment between Tommy and Ellie? How would you describe their relationship in Season 2?
GABRIEL LUNA: Oh, man, he’s just so proud to see Ellie grow, as a person. I’m allowed a little bit of a greater scope and a little bit of a wider lane to allow Ellie to be who she is. My little cousin hit two home runs and I was watching his little league game on an app. He’s eight years old, but he hit two dingers, back to back. It’s the same sense of pride and the same sense of excitement to see Ellie put one down from six hundred meters. You’ve got to celebrate that. You’ve got to celebrate the prowess.
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Rutina, we get the sense that Maria has grown as a leader in the last five years. What most influences the kind of leader she is and how hard is it to be someone like her, who doesn’t want to leave people behind or force them to fend for themselves?
RUTINA WESLEY: I think the thing that’s changed Maria is her son, the son that she shares with Tommy. I feel like that has literally opened her and softened her in a way that we haven’t seen her be at all. Maybe she’s a little more empathetic and compassionate. She cares about the community that she has, but also starts to care about, “Who else can we help outside these walls that are also fleeing Infected? How can we help those people?” Benji, our son, brought this light back to Maria. To me,Maria feels a little lighter than she did in Season 1.
LUNA: I think we’re also succeeding in our duties to keep this place safe. You get to see a lot of people in the town that are breathing easy and living their lives and flourishing and thriving, but the threat is always looming and we have to remain vigilant.
Rutina, with Maria being a leader, being a partner to Tommy, and being a mother, will she be forced to decide which takes priority?
WESLEY: For her, the priority is always going to be Benji and making sure that he is safe, and her family, even her chosen family. I think she’s going to do whatever she needs to do to make sure that we survive anything.She’s always had a survivor mindset, but now, with a child involved, it just intensifies it all.Now, she has to do the unthinkable, whatever that is, to make sure that her son is okay. But I think Benji is her top priority, for sure.
In ‘The Last of Us,’ the Threat Comes From Both Humans and the Infected
“We’ve got to make sure that no monsters get to our door.”
This is a show that obviously can’t avoid the Infected and the variations of them, but there’s also no shortage of human threats. What would you say this community sees as a threat to their existence, especially initially, and will that change as the season progresses?
LUNA: I love the way the trailer is structured. When you hear our son’s voice say the word “monsters,” there’s a single frame of a Clicker emerging from the icy tundra. The rest of the monsters that you see, that this is referring to, are all human beings with various intentions and varying levels of military capability, and some that are inspired and driven by something that you may’t kill with bullets. There’s a lot to deal with this season.Within Jackson, I don’t think that we fully know the scope of all the dangers out there.We’ll deal with one thing at a time. We have this beautiful, secluded enclave. We’ve got to verify that no monsters get to our door.
How prepared are these characters for what’s coming this season? Do they think they’re better prepared than they actually are?
WESLEY: That’s actually a great question. I do think that they think they’re prepared, for sure, but we shall see if they are or not. I do think there’s a confidence that they’re preparing for the unknown and for the thing that they’ve been dealing with. They have things in place, but I think anything can happen. We never know if those plans are going to work.
LUNA: That’s really aptly put. We’re ready for anything. It’s our job to be. But only time will tell.
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Ramsey also talks about the frustration and distance Ellie is experiencing when it comes to Joel.
Rutina, the dance is so interesting because there are so many things going on in that scene. There’s this beautiful moment with Ellie and Dina sharing a kiss, but then Seth makes his comments. We see Ellie’s reaction and Joel’s reaction, and Maria is the one that steps in to attempt to defuse the situation. What is that moment like for her? What is she going through in that moment?
WESLEY: You’re absolutely right, Maria is trying to defuse the situation as best she can, but I think she can tell that Ellie’s upset and Joel doesn’t really know what’s going on but feels like he did something wrong. She can feel it all and she’s just trying to get Seth out of there as fast as possible, in the hope that maybe people will continue and go on, but they don’t because Ellie is clearly upset. That’s the motherly thing to do. She’s like, “Seth, you’re drunk. Let’s go. And not only that, we’re going for a walk and we’re gonna talk.”
LUNA: She accurately identifies the problem and removes the problem. There’s some other stuff to be hashed out. Unfortunately, it drives a wedge even further between two characters that love each other so much and that we love so much. It’s really just a lot of miscommunication and a lot of missed opportunities for connection. But prior to that, it’s a gorgeous moment. I was blushing [watching it]. She put the moves on her.Just the flirtation and the discovery of these feelings was really beautiful and just perfectly played by Izzy [Merced] and Bella [Ramsey].
Rutina Wesley Says You Should Expect to Feel a Range of Emotions With Season 2 of ‘The Last of Us’
“It’ll be a lot.”
We all know that there are things coming this season that are going to tear our hearts out. How do you think people will feel after they watch the last episode of this season?
LUNA: Oh, I don’t know. We’re several weeks away from that and I wouldn’t want to put words in people’s mouths. We don’t all know what exactly is going to happen. We have to let it all play out in due time.
WESLEY: It’ll be an array of emotions. It’ll be a lot.
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The Last Of Us
After a global pandemic destroys civilization, a hardened survivor takes charge of a 14-year-old girl who may be humanity’s last hope.
The Last of Usairs on HBO and is available to stream on Max. Check out the Season 2 trailer:
