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Sam and Henry are played by Keivonn Montreal Woodard and Lamar Johnson, respectively, in The Last of Us. They were first introduced in episode 4 of the show last week, but a detailed story about their lives and struggles was made aware in episode 5.
Henry is in his 20s and Sam is eight years old. The sibling duo had a target on their back after the older brother killed Kathleen's brother. The latter was the leader of the resistance movement against FEDRA and her brother held the position before. Henry assassinated him to save his own brother from leukemia.
Henry and Sam met Joel and Ellie during a hideout and bonded with each other since they could relate to each other.
Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers from The Last of Us.
Sam in The Last of Us video game was older and not differently abled
Keivonn Montreal Woodard as Sam
Like Sam on the show, Keivonn Montreal Woodard is deaf in real life too and communicates via American Sign Language. The showrunners decided to make his character deaf and younger, unlike in the video game, where he is in his early teens.
The Last of Us is Woodard's first major TV role, although he has previously briefly appeared in Fractal. The reason he was hired to play Sam was to make the TV series more impactful than the game.
Lamar Johnson as Henry Burrell
Lamar Johnson has previously appeared in shows like Covert Affairs, Degrassi: The Next Generation, The Firm, and Rookie Blue. However, he is best known for his role on the dance series The Next Step – in which he starred from 2013 to 2019.
In case of films, he appeared as Seven Carter in The Hate U Give and Charlie in All The Bright Places, while also appearing in movies such as Dark Phoenix and Run Sweetheart Run.
In an interview with a TV guide, when he was asked why he chose to play Henry, he said:
"What drew me to the character was the relationship that he has with his brother, it's so very special even in the game — and I think the opportunity to do that with the show. But also there's a new element with him being deaf..."
He continued:
"...And me having to learn sign and really having to communicate without words, and the additional layer that that adds to our relationship."
What is The Last of Us about?
The official synopsis of HBO's The Last of Us reads:
"Based on the critically acclaimed video game The Last of Us, developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation platforms, the story takes place twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone."
It continues:
"What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival."
The show has been created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Rose Lam serve as executive producers.
The Last of Us episode 6 will be released on Sunday, February 19, 2023, at 9 pm ET on HBO and HBO Max.
