The Last of Us actor Troy Baker has spoken about his iconic character, Joel, and where he falls on the scale of Good to Evil.
Chatting during Manchester Comic Con earlier summer, Baker was asked whether he prefers playing “good” or “evil” characters, to which he responded that it’s not always that black and white.
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“[With TLOU] you assume that Joel is the hero and David [played by Nolan North] is the villain, but…everyone is the hero of their own story.
“I firmly believe that David believes he’s doing what is best for his people, and he is the hero in his story.
“Joel, I don’t think deals in those terms at all. I don’t think Joel believes he’s a hero. If he was to lean anywhere I think that Joel would consider himself a villain, which is why he can say that he’s been on both sides. Like he can say ‘I’m just a guy trying to get by. I’m not here to save anybody, I’m not here to upset anyone’s plans. I’m just trying to live one day at a time.'”
He added: “That said, once you get to play the Joker, playing the ‘villain’ to the player’s perspective is way more fun. Way more fun.”
Of course, if you’ve played The Last of Us you’ll know that it ended on a very interesting note that – without including any spoilers – definitely puts Joel’s moral stance in a very, very grey area.
It’s still not clear how much a role Joel will be playing in the upcoming sequel, The Last of Us Part 2.
Since appearing in the game’s reveal trailer approximately a billion years ago, fans wondered whether the Joel shown off actually is Joel, or whether or not he’s a figment of Ellie’s imagination.
Thankfully, as revealed during Sony’s September State of Play announcement, it seems as though Joel is still very much real. ICYMI, check it out in the trailer below.
The Last of Us Part 2 will be releasing exclusively on PlayStation 4, February 21, 2020.
Featured Image Credit: Naughty Dog