Who does Troy Baker play in The Last of Us episode 8?

American voice actor and musician Troy Baker plays James in The Last of Us episode 8. Interestingly, Baker played the role of Joel in the video game.

Compared to David, whom viewers met in episode 8, James' role is rather concise. He is a member of the cannibalistic cult led by David, whose sole mode of survival is killing and consuming humans. James is a senior member of the cult and is seen with a gun most of the time.

James wanted to kill Ellie and Joel from the very beginning of the episode but followed David's plan instead. The decision didn't help him since it was Ellie who emerged victorious in the cat-and-mouse chase.

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The Last of Us episode 8: Troy Baker opens up on playing James

In an interview with Deadline, Troy Baker revealed that he would have been happy to even play a clicker on the show. He was surprised that the showrunners cast him as James. When Neil Druckmann proposed the role to him, Baker thought it was an upgrade,

"When Neil and Craig [Mazin] came to me with this role, they were like, “How would you feel about playing James?” And I went, “Oh my God. Thank you, guys, so much. Who is James?” [Laughs]. But the beauty of this story is that we get to take some characters that may have been overlooked and zoom in and expand their roles."

He continued, sharing what the showrunners had in mind:

"He was like, “So, there’s a character that we have in mind for you, if you’re interested. If you don’t feel interested, it’s totally fine.” And I’m like, “Dude, if there’s anything for me….” Look, I thought I was going to be a clicker. So, this is an upgrade. [Laughs]. I was so happy. And then, when reading the script for James, I was like, “OK, there’s a good challenge.”

Baker described James as a character who possesses a moral center, and who wanted to be more than David's right-hand man. However, this was not because he respected or trusted David, but because he feared him. He knew David was downright evil and preferred to stay in his good books.

When Ellie showed up, however, James felt threatened. He saw Ellie as an equal and wanted to eliminate her from the very start.

Baker then described his experience of playing Joel in The Last of Us video game. He felt grateful towards Druckmann for allowing him to play Joel in the game and now James in the show. He said,

"I got inside of Joel and discovered what I felt was a secret that nobody else knew. I’ve been a part of this world for over a decade. And I’ve seen not only the game be made but also be well-received."

He continued,

"You never know if [a project] will be as good as you’re hoping for it to be, but it was, and then it gets out in the world, and it just blows up and becomes this phenomenon"

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What is The Last of Us about?

Created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us is an American post-apocalyptic drama show set at a time when humankind is an afterthought on Earth. A deadly fungus called cordyceps has brought doom, and humanity's final hope for survival depends on a 14-year-old girl called Ellie.

The synopsis of the show, according to IMDb, reads:

"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 Us stars Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller and Bella Ramsey as Ellie.