*Warning – Major spoilers ahead for The Last of Us, episode three*
Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett’s episode of The Last of Us culminates in an explosive battle sequence.
Offerman’s survivalist character Bill has turned his suburban neighbourhood into a compound and as raiders attempt to break in, they are hit with an onslaught of traps including flamethrowers and an electrocuted fence.
Meanwhile, Bill fires at them with a rifle as rain lashes down on him and his lover, Bartlett’s Frank. To say it’s dramatic would be an understatement.
“Well, the set was incredible. They built [the neighbourhood] just for this episode,” Offerman told The Independent in an interview alongside Bartlett, adding: “It just was obvious that this was a deluxe production.”
Bartlett interjected: “We just read this amazing script and then we got there and I was like, ‘Oooh! We’d better not mess this up!’ [Laughs] There are a lot of resources going into this.”
“I have not won any major acting awards for being on any HBO shows for ‘stealing the show’ in anything written by Mike White,” Offerman said, teasing his co-star, who bagged an Emmy for his role in White’s The White Lotus season one. “So for me, getting to do that big scene in the rain at night with the pyro, with the shooting and the two of us... this episode was like that to me.”
“If you’re a kid like I was who did a lot of play-acting, whether it was Robin Hood or a musketeer or a cowboy... to then get to do that and understand that you’re gonna be in this great action scene in this great show is incredibly fun and gratifying,” the Parks and Recreation star said.
However, Offerman did stipulate that the scene was “very arduous” to film: “I mean, it would be remiss not to mention that it’s dangerous, it’s cold, you’re trying to keep warm while firing a weapon and moving around and doing whatever’s required. But it’s also an absolute blast.”
“It was kind of amazing because that scene felt like we were making an action movie,” Bartlett said. “And then [in others] it felt like we were in the best written indie feature where we get to do these beautiful scenes together.”
The pair also spoke about the episode’s heart-wrenching closing scenes, which you can read about here.
The Last of Us is available to watch in the UK on Sky Atlantic and NOW. New episodes arrive on Mondays at 2am GMT.
