HBO’s Last Of Us Tommy Actor Recalls Emotional Support From Game Actor

HBO’s Last of Us Tommy actor Gabriel Luna recalls the emotional support he received from the game actor, Jeffrey Pierce, and their first meeting.

With a roster full of celebrated performers, HBO’s The Last of Us Tommy actor Gabriel Luna recalls the emotional support he received from game actor Jeffrey Pierce. Tommy first appeared in the adaptation of the Naughty Dog game in its pilot, with Luna playing the idealistic brother of Pedro Pascal’s Joel. Following their devastating effort to survive the initial Cordyceps virus, which resulted in the death of Joel’s daughter Sarah, the two would go their separate ways at some point, finally reunited in The Last of Us episode 6 with Joel and Ellie’s arrival in Jackson, Wyoming.

Fresh off his series return, Gabriel Luna caught up with Vulture to discuss HBO’s The Last of Us. In reflecting on his relationship with the returning game cast, the Tommy actor recalled the emotional support he received from original game actor Jeffrey Pierce, as well as their sweet meeting at the premiere of the hit show. See what Luna shared below:

Jeffrey and I met at the premiere about a month ago. We had met via the internet about a year ago, and he has always been so, so positive and so welcoming. As far as the TLOU family is concerned, he’s been a champion of mine. On the internet, when some people were a little less than confident in my casting, Jeffrey has been on the front line in defense of my participation in the story. I told him as much when I saw him at the premiere and gave him a big hug. I got a little emotional when I saw him and told him “thank you” — for his phenomenal performance, from which I absorbed quite a bit, and for his stellar defense of Tommy and myself and the role.

Related: That Girl Ellie Shouts At Will Be Very Important In Last Of Us Season 2

Will Tommy Return In The Last Of Us’ Future?

As has been the case for most episodes of the show, and the source material itself, The Last of Us episode 6 saw Luna’s Tommy play a key role, only to then be left behind as Joel and Ellie continue on their journey. Given the familial relationship between the two characters, questions have arisen as to whether Joel and Tommy will reunite at some point in the show’s future. The Last of Us episode 7’s trailer indicated Tommy won’t appear as the focus is instead shifted to exploring Ellie’s backstory, namely with the arrival of Storm Reid’s Riley.

However, with The Last of Us having already received a season 2 renewal following its record setting first few episodes, the door does seem open for Tommy to return elsewhere. Tommy did appear in The Last of Us Part II game, being given a much larger role than the first title as a founder of Jackson, the Wyoming community introduced in episode 6, despite not appearing in the original game. While the episode already adapted the prologue sequence in which Joel confesses his guilt for their past faults, there is a wealth of other material to explore in season 2 for Tommy.

With a few episodes remaining, it’s unclear where The Last of Us season 1 will end in adapting the original game. Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have indicated the show won’t run far past the two games, with the former even indicating The Last of Us season 2 could be split into two parts in order to cover the second game’s expansive narrative. If season 1 does end before the original game, Tommy’s return seems largely unlikely until at least halfway through season 2.

More: The Last Of Us Episode 6 Ending ExplainedSource: Vulture