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The Last of Us season 2 premiered its first episode today on Max on April 13, 2025. Coming two years after the release of season 1, the show puts the focus back on Ellie and Joel five years after the last incident, and sees them trying to live a peaceful life in Jackson alongside Tommy and his community, but not all is well as a threat does lurk in the background.
The first episode of The Last of Us season 2 is titled Future Days and it works as an outing setting up the remaining six episodes that are yet to be released. While the first episode features many exciting moments and character development, amidst that, it sneaks in a cameo that only hardcore fans of the series will be able to point out.
That cameo happens to be the show's composer, Gustavo Santaolalla, who makes a blink-and-you-will-miss-it appearance in one of the scenes.
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Who is Gustavo Santaolalla? Everything to know about The Last of Us season 2 composer
Gustavo Santaolalla is a revered composer who has worked in Hollywood for a long time. He is the recipient of two Academy Awards for Best Original Score and has won two Grammy Awards, alongside 17 Latin Grammy Awards. He originally started his career by launching the band known as Arco Ins in 1967, before he began composing for movies.
He began with Amores Perros in 2000, and then followed it up with 21 Grams and The Motorcycle Diaries. His best-known work comes in Brokeback Mountain, which led to him receiving much fame, and his work on Babel in 2006 only further cemented his position as an iconic Hollywood composer.
However, Santaolalla received worldwide fame when he scored the background music for the popular video game, The Last of Us, in 2013 and received critical acclaim for his work. With the theme becoming iconic in its own right, Santaolalla started getting heavily associated with the series, and he later returned to score the music for the second game in 2020, The Last of Us: Part II.
Following his work on the games, Santaolalla also returned to score for the TV show, and his most recent work can be heard in The Last of Us season 2.
Gustavo Santaolalla's cameo in The Last of Us season 2 explored
At the end of The Last of Us season 2 episode 1, Ellie and Dina can be seen attending a New Year's Eve party. While Dina is dancing in the crowd, Ellie stands near the bar, seeing her break a leg on the dance floor, and then begins a conversation with Jessie. At the same time, the band is playing a song called Little Sadie by Crooked Still, and everyone is having the time of their lives.
When the song comes to an end, a man can be seen playing the guitar and it is none other than Gustavo Santaolalla himself. However, this wouldn't be the first time the composer would have cameo'd in the series, as he first appeared as himself in The Last of Us: Part II as well.
The first episode of The Last of Us season 2 is streaming on Max right now. For further updates, stay tuned.
