Neil Druckmann attends The Last of Us season 2 premiere

Variety

The Last of Us season 2 premiere

Transcript

00:00What is it like to be here, finally ready to kind of launch this new season into the universe

00:06after, you know, the grueling nights and weekends making you the baby of your game

00:11and now this second season?

00:16I don't even know how to describe it.

00:18I mean, like, it's like you're hearing the screams and, like, all these incredible, talented people

00:22that have worked on the show.

00:24We've been, at Naida, we've been working on this game since 2010.

00:29So we've been living in this world for, like, a very long time.

00:33And to have it start from something really small where just a few of us were working on it,

00:37then the game was successful and had a certain level of recognition,

00:40and now for this moment, I think it just shows that, you know,

00:45we've made something really special that resonated with people.

00:48So right now I just feel pride.

00:51Pride for, like, I'm just associated with it.

00:55Even though you're the one who came up with it, but that's okay.

00:57But there's so many, like, talented people that have, like,

01:00some of these people could pick whatever project they want to work on,

01:03and they've picked this.

01:05And that's the pressure we felt is to honor all these talented people

01:09wanting to come and making sure we get the best out of them.

01:12Not just our actors, but the set designers, the costume designers, the prosthetics, the VFX,

01:17everyone's firing on all cylinders.

01:19And that's why I think this show is as beautiful as it is.

01:24And I love it.

01:25I'm extremely proud of it.

01:26Now it's time to put it out into the world and see how people react to it.

01:29Well, here there's one episode that is particularly beautiful.

01:33Episode 6.

01:34The episode that you are behind the camera.

01:36It is not really our, like, Bill and Frank, like, totally separate episode.

01:40But what was it like for you and Halle to kind of come together and work on this one?

01:47That episode is really special because it really gets into the heart

01:51of what the show's about.

01:54With characters that we love so much.

01:56I'm being very careful here because I don't want to spoil.

01:58There's something I think both fans of the show and fans of the games are going to really,

02:05I think they're going to be really moved by this episode.

02:07Or at least, you know, that's what I'm hoping.

02:09Because I'm moved now when I'm editing it and when I'm doing color correction.

02:12And I'm watching.

02:13And it's like our act, again, it's like everybody's worked really hard.

02:19But our actors, particularly in this episode,

02:21I feel like they left a piece of their soul in this episode.

02:25I'm very proud of it.

02:26I mean, everyone is very emotionally attached in this whole crew.

02:30I mean, Pedro was almost in tears at South by Southwest when you guys were debuting the trailer.

02:36Caitlin has been kind of involved in this in other ways.

02:39What has it been like, I guess, forming that kind of family with these actors

02:43and also with your video game actors, too?

02:47I think we were lucky that we not only have talented people,

02:50we have people that are kind.

02:52They're good people.

02:53It's a joy to come to the set or to the writer's room or wherever it is and work with everybody.

02:59We always say there's no room for jerks.

03:01And it's like someone might be really talented, but if they're kind of an asshole,

03:05we don't want them on the show.

03:07I love everyone on this show.

03:09Like Cecil right here is one of our executive producers.

03:11You can point in any direction, and we have formed some kind of bond with people.

03:16And we don't take that lightly.

03:18This is a family.

03:19We take care of each other, and I hope we get to do it again with them.

03:23We do know that there's still hopefully more to come.

03:26We don't know exactly how much more there is to come.

03:29But I will say this.

03:302025 is basically the year of Pedro Pascal.

03:32He's in, like, six different projects within the span of about three months.

03:36What is it like to see him get all of this recognition and really have this huge moment in his career?

03:43I don't care about his other projects, so they mean nothing to me.

03:47No, look, the guy is very kind.

03:51There's a reason why people love him so much.

03:53Not only is he talented, he's very charismatic, he's a very good-looking guy.

03:58He's also kind.

04:00And what I appreciate, Joel means so much to me, to Troy Baker who played him,

04:07to so many people that worked on this game.

04:10And when I got to, like, talk to Pedro after he was wrapped for this season,

04:16I told him the appreciation I have for what he's done.

04:19Like, I really felt he was so vulnerable at times, and that's not easy.

04:24It's a very difficult job, what they're doing.

04:27So I just feel very appreciative that he was able to do this for a character that means so much to me

04:32and so much to the people back at Naughty Dog that worked on the game.

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