Who plays Bill and Frank in The Last of Us show?
The Last of Us is the best and biggest show of 2023 so far, and it’s really been awesome to see how much success it’s had in just its first two weeks. We’re moving onto the third episode in the season this Sunday, which has been highly anticipated given the two characters from the games we’ll get to meet. Those would be Bill and Frank, survivors of the outbreak who play a part in Joel and Ellie’s journey. It’s already been teased by the showrunners that this part of the story will be altered and expanded on, something we’re curious to see how fans of the games respond to.
The HBO series has a stacked cast with lots of familiar faces, including Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus), Melanie Lynskey, Rutina Wesley and Storm Reid. Ahead of Episode 3 this weekend, let’s get to know the two actors who play Bill and Frank.
Nick Offerman plays Bill in The Last of Us
Known mostly for his roles in comedies, Emmy Award nominee Nick Offerman proves he’s got range in The Last of Us. The 52-year-old actor portrays Bill, a lone-wolf survivalist who figures out how to be self-sufficient when the outbreak begins. Offerman famously played Ron Swanson in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation for all seven seasons, and has appeared in popular shows like Good Omens, The Good Place, Curb Your Enthusiasm and more. He also played Forest in Alex Garland’s sci-fi drama Devs and Karl Weathers in Fargo season 2.
More recently, Offerman had roles in The Resort on Peacock, Pam & Tommy on Hulu, and A League of Their Own on Amazon Prime Video.
The Last of Us showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann spoke to TV Line about their decision to cast Offerman as Bill, with Mazin explaining that they took inspiration from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan:
"And one of the things that Vince Gilligan has always said is when in doubt, hire funny people–cast funny people. If you look at Breaking Bad, he’s the guy who’s saying, ‘Hey, you know what, the dad [from] Malcolm in the Middle, right?’ Like everyone else thinks Bryan Cranston is a funny guy. He’s like, ‘Well, what if he was Shakespearean and tragic?’"
Murray Bartlett plays Bill in The Last of Us
If you’re a fan of The White Lotus on HBO, then you’ll already be familiar with Murray Bartlett. The 51-year-old Australian actor portrays the live-action version of Bill’s partner Frank in The Last of Us. As evidenced by the trailer for Episode 3, we know he’ll most likely play a bigger role in the show than in the game.
Bartlett is an Emmy Award winner, receiving the honor for his performance as Armond in The White Lotus season 1. Some of his previous works include Netflix’s 2019 adaptation of Tales of the City, in which he played the character Mouse, as well as the HBO show Looking. He’s made appearances in beloved shows like Sex and the City, All My Children, and The Good Wife. Most recently, he played Nick De Noia in Hulu’s Welcome to Chippendales miniseries which ended earlier this month.
In the same interview with TV Line, Mazin touched on Bartlett’s casting and his success in The White Lotus:
"It was an incredible thing to watch his chemistry with Murray Bartlett was incredible. You know, we cast Murray Bartlett, and then a few months later, Murray Bartlett wins an Emmy. And we’re like, ‘this is really great.’ And so we’ve got these, like absolute A-List guys bringing it at such a high level."
Some fans of The Last of Us will be “upset” by Episode 3
While The Last of Us viewers will no doubt enjoy seeing these two talented actors on their screens in Episode 3, not all fans of the games will be happy with the storyline. And the showrunners know that. Though we can’t reveal exactly what’s been changed for the show yet, Druckmann teased in a December 2022 interview with The New Yorker that: “As awesome as that episode is, there are going to be fans who are upset by it.”
Fortunately, there’s not much time left until you can see the episode for yourself. The Last of Us Episode 3, “Long Long Time,” premieres this Sunday at 9:00 p.m. EST on HBO and HBO Max.
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