A day on the set of ‘The Last of Us’: Silicone, blood, and secrecy in a Vancouver industrial warehouse

It’s a warm and pleasant summer day in Vancouver, Canada. But inside this industrial warehouse, an hour outside the city, it feels like a day in hell. Total darkness, repetitive and uncomfortable metallic sounds, screams, running, blood on the floor. This is The Last of Us — in other words, the apocalypse.

It’s a day in the making for the series — based on the hugely popular video game of the same name — which became a global hit on HBO in 2023 and is set to return in 2025. When the second season premieres on April 14, more than two years will have passed since the first season ended.

But in sunny Vancouver, filming is taking place somewhere in between: in July 2024. The team has been meticulously planning every detail of these seven episodes for months, and now they’re coming to life in this dark warehouse. It will take another nine months before the audience finally sees them.

EL PAÍS, along with other media outlets, participated in a few hours of filming and several interviews with the key people behind the shoot. To say that we were present during the filming might be an understatement. Here, secrecy is paramount. The journalists are set up in a tent with monitors, while filming takes place in a parallel room that they can visit afterward. Of course, no photos.

The fifth episode is being filmed, so there are no spoilers for the first four. One thing’s for sure: there’s blood, ominous signs, and an industrial aesthetic that perfectly matches the world in which Joel and Ellie fought for survival in the first season, which won eight Emmys, a BAFTA, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Pedro Pascal, the lead actor.

Anyone curious about the plot doesn’t have to look far: just Google it. Like the first season, the second season is based on the game, although with some changes to the storylines.

Neil Druckmann, the creator of both the game and the series, acknowledges this but says it doesn’t affect his writing. “The adaptation process for us is to say, again, ‘from that story, what is its core?’ The most important part is making sure we maintain that and give the player the same kind of conversation, the same kind of feelings that the game gave. But we’re doing it through a different medium, so certain things have to change,” says Druckmann.

Craig Mazin, the series' co-creator, agrees, noting that the game can last for dozens of hours — much longer than the series. In the game, “the story unfolds very deliberately and so much of the experience is defined by your interaction,” he explains.

In other words, when playing the game, the player occupies the character’s space. But in the series, “we watch the character,” says Mazin. “We will never share that space with Joel or Ellie. In the game, Ellie or Joel do things in a cutscene, and then it’s back to you being there. And so, you share that.”

I love how Craig is allergic to boredom, it’s our biggest enemy. If the show feels boring then we’re doing something wrong," laughs Druckmann, who has found a perfect collaborator in Mazin. Together, they work on that role reversal for the viewer — more passive, but still just as involved as a player.

This challenge has led to many sleepless nights for the creators, but they admit it’s been an incredibly rewarding task, as they strive to deliver the best experience. “Since the first season was so successful, the challenge now is that you feel the stress and pressure of wanting to make sure we not only match it, but exceed that quality.”

The filming location is a stark contrast. The series creators are relaxed as they chat amiably in this hostile environment. Journalists sip coffee from the same catering stand where the show’s victims of the deadly fungus scavenge for food, their large, silicone-covered feet dragging across the floor.

Paul Spateri, head of makeup and prosthetics, enters the tent, accompanied by Kelsey, one of the actors who plays a terrifying infected human. Spateri explains that in this new season, the infected have undergone an “evolution.” “They’re much more talented. They self-mutilate with themselves by tearing their skin, pulling their lips off. There’s super masochistic self-harm involved,” he says.

But when it comes to characterization, he laughs, explaining: “There’s a limit to what you can do. These guys are fantastic, but we can’t dig deep into them either.”

Each prosthetic takes between four and five hours to complete, and two professionals are required for each extra. In addition, most of the actors wear contact lenses and silicone prosthetics on their feet, which allow them to go barefoot without cutting, puncturing, or slipping. They also move differently depending on whether they are stalkers or clickers.

“Stalkers are tough because they’re quadruped. We’re on all fours a lot, crawling, which is immensely difficult,” explains Kelsey, who has portrayed seven different infected characters over the two seasons. “Clickers are more fun when they grow; they have stalks, and your whole face is covered with eyepieces, so you can’t see,” she adds.

No one ever refers to them as monsters. They’re not. Mazin constantly tells the stunt performers that there’s humanity in these creatures. “We connect better when we do more human things, and then they ask, ‘What is it about that character that makes them so interesting?’” Kelsey explains.

Stunt coordinator Marny Eng adds that it can take up to two months to coordinate a scene — like the one being filmed that day — because the key is staying true to the story. “That’s what’s required of us; we’re facilitators who make sure the performances come to life.”

The team holds training sessions, also with the main cast, to enhance movement and prevent injuries. If possible, they do this with the set assembled to make sure the scene is as accurate as it can be.

This attention to detail is made possible by the high-level crews from around the world who come together in Canada for a shoot that takes months. “As Craig loves saying, our brand is excellence,” says Druckmann.

According to Mazin, the production is more efficient this time around: several large sets have been built, and the makeup has been highly refined, to the point that digital effects are often unnecessary, or used only minimally. “We don’t want people to know where real ends and visual effects are,” he says.

Success and criticism

Mazin is also proud of the cast. When the series first premiered, some fans of the game criticized the casting of Joel and Ellie, saying that Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey didn’t resemble their video game counterparts. But neither Druckmann nor Mazin are overly concerned.

“Casting can be so difficult to do in ways that bring both the gaming audience together and people who are new to the story,” Mazin reflects. “It’s not about going down some easy paths where it’s, ‘oh, this person looks just like the video game character,’ but about who has the spirit and who will do the most beautiful and productive job performing this person and making you fall in love with them as a human being.”

They are particularly proud of the decision to cast Bella Ramsey as Ellie, a character who will grow even more in the second season. “I was at maximum justification on day one,” Mazin says, speaking proudly of the actress, who is only 21.

As he likes to tell his children to give them perspective, it’s a matter of math: 40 million viewers in the U.S. — and even more worldwide — watched the first episode of The Last of Us. Criticism? Quite a bit.

“Bella’s peers have recognized them for the work they’ve done, whether it’s through Screen Actors, the Emmys, or the Golden Globes, same for Pedro, what else can you say?” says Mazin. “If I could work with someone like Bella for the rest of my life, it would be heaven.”

Gabriel Luna, who plays Tommy, Joel’s brother, also agrees that Ramsey is one of the standout characters of the series and that she “carries the weight of the season on her shoulders.” “Wherever she goes, I follow her, in life and in the story,” he says.

Luna’s character gains significant momentum in this season. When he was first told about the project, he was already aware of the game’s popularity. To prepare, he played it for a week, “so as not to go in blind.” “I quickly forgot it was research and started experimenting,” he recalls with a smile. “It took me two and a half months to play the entire game.” That was early 2021. By then, Luna had already realized that the project would be a success. “Because of the artistic team involved,” he says. “In every department, we have the best in the world.”

For Luna, both his character and the universe of the series expand significantly this season. For him, one of Druckmann’s greatest strengths is his ability to create imperfect characters. “Nobody leaves unscathed; it’s terribly tragic, but I think that that’s a lesson for everyone,” he reflects. In fact, his character’s journey follows this very path.

This season also marks the arrival of actress Kaitlyn Dever, who plays Abby, a young woman who will serve as a counterpoint to Ellie. Druckmann previously worked with Dever on the failed film adaptation of the game, where she was initially cast to play Ellie. She also participated in Uncharted 4, a video game from Naughty Dog, where Druckmann is president and creative director.

“She was a fan of the games and knew the story, so we sat down to discuss our vision for the character and what she would be like. She was very excited, and we were excited to have her,” he recalls. “It was the same process as in the first season, where the aesthetic is much less of a priority than the fact that she can capture the way of acting and the spirit.”

Druckmann, who directed one of the episodes, hopes that audiences will see a new character who is “not in the game but very much reflects stuff that happens in the game.” Half-joking, half-serious, Mazin adds that they’re looking for ways “to break the audience’s hearts in different ways.” He mentions the much-remembered third episode of the first season, which told the story of Bill and Frank. “It won’t be the same here, but what will take its place? What else can we tell, or is there a completely different path?” he adds.

Mazin also speaks about the importance of the city of Seattle as both a setting and a character in this season, explaining that “the level of danger, the madness in the atmosphere,” is enormous.

For Luna, there is “forgiveness,” there is “an essence of brotherhood, of finding your family, that’s the main theme.” All amid whispers and darknesss.

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