The Last of Us’ original Ellie is returning in the epic season finale: ‘The legend is back’
Ashley Johnson, who voiced Ellie in The Last of Us, is making a cameo in the HBO series. (HBO/YouTube/PlayStation)
The actress who voiced the character of Ellie in the original The Last of Us video game is set to make a cameo in the season finale of the hit TV show.
Yesterday (8 March), HBO shared a still from the final episode, featuring Ashley Johnson looking shocked and holding a baby bump.
While Johnson was the voice of Ellie in the video game, she will play the teen’s mum, Anna, in episode nine. Considering she’s pregnant in the still, fans are expecting the season finale to flashback to Ellie’s family’s life before she was born.
Fans are ecstatic to see Johnson return to The Last of Us world, as her voice is a signature part of the fandom.
Johnson won two BAFTA video game performer awards for her voice work in The Last of Us and The Last of Us: Left Behind, becoming the only actress to win the award twice.
“The legend is back,” one fan wrote on Twitter, adding: “Thanks for not leaving the OG actors behind.”
Another person wrote: “The Ashley Johnson effect is gonna hit every single person who hasn’t seen her before next episode. Be ready, she’s f*****g amazing.”
And another tweeted: “Ashley Johnson is gonna be in the season finale and I cannot wait! By the looks of it… she’s pregnant. Is she gonna play Ellie’s mum or….?”
Johnson is a huge fan of Bella Ramsey, who took on the role of Ellie for the TV adaptation.
Since the series first aired, at the beginning of the year, fans have heaped praise on the creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann both for committing to a faithful recreation of the game, and for expanding characters whose storylines weren’t fully developed.
“Ashley Johnson playing Anna in the HBO adaptation is the sweetest connection to the game that they could’ve added,” exclaimed one person.
In last week’s episode, fans saw Troy Baker, who played Joel in the game, arrive in the show as James, one of David’s cultish henchmen.
He didn’t last long, but those who played the video game were still thrilled to hear his voice again.
Fans of the original video game were equally thrilled to watch the characters of Bill and Frank come to life in the heartwrenching third episode. While the game only hinted at the pair’s romance, the TV series saw it come into full bloom, with a tragic ending.
Similarly, Anna is only briefly heard about during the game, and never makes a full appearance.
The final episode of season one of The Last of Us season one airs on Sunday (12 March) on HBO in the US, and the following day, at 9pm, on Sky Atlantic in the UK.
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