The last of us is a series that wants to be as respectful as possible with the video game. When a production has a landmark work with such good reviews, it makes sense to try to stay true to the material. For the season finale, the HBO adaptation has reserved a cameo that gamers will especially appreciate: the appearance of Ashley Johnson, the actress who gave life to Ellie in the Naughty Boy video game.
It is worth informing the reader that if they have not seen the episode in question, it is perhaps better not to read this article. And it is that Johnson stars in the first minutes of the episode entitled Look for the light in a key role: she is Anna, the mother of Ellie (Bella Ramsey). In the images, she can be seen as a pregnant woman who, while being attacked by people infected with Cordyceps, has her daughter.
Her cameo actually serves to explain why Ellie is immune to the fungus that has destroyed civilization. Her mother was bitten minutes before she was born: just long enough for Ellie to develop immunity to the infection without developing the virus that turns humanity into fungus herself. Of course, Anna is not lucky enough to survive and she is sacrificed by Marlene, who fulfills her promise to watch over her.
Regarding her appearance, Ashley Johnson, known in the television world for her work on Blindspot, has described her as "crazy" and "surreal". "To be able to give birth to the character and to be the first character to fight to keep Ellie alive... yes, all the layers do not escape me," she has acknowledged in Entertainment Weekly.
Craig Mazin, creator of The last of us together with Neil Druckmann, who was the author of the video game, acknowledges that it has been one of the "most satisfying moments of production" to be a fan of Johnson's work. He seems, in fact, an "almost mythological creature" and loved the idea of Johnson giving birth to his own character, creating "a genetic connection between the performances."
