Who Plays Ellie in The Last of Us Game?

Naughty Dog’s hit game series The Last of Us has been a fan-favorite on PlayStation consoles for about a decade now. Though a main reason it has managed to capture player’s attention for so long is its engaging story and themes, but those wouldn’t matter if the characters at the center weren’t so compelling. Central to The Last of Us game, as is the same in the HBO TV series, are the characters of Joel and Ellie. Though fans have come to love Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as their respective characters, someone else kickstarted the character’s life, and will get their chance to shine on TV very soon.

In The Last of Us video games, Ellie is performed by actress Ashley Johnson. Having made a career as an actress as a child, starring in shows like Growing Pains, Roseanne, and others, Ashley Johnson has had a versatile career both in front of the camera but also providing her voice for roles; including hit animated shows like Jumanji and Disney’s classic cartoon Recess. Fans may also recognize Ashley Johnson from a small role she had in Marvel’s The Avengers, released just before The Last of Us.

With 2013’s The Last of Us game, Johnson would lend her voice and provide the motion capture for Ellie in the Naughty Dog game. Starring alongside her was Troy Baker as Joel. For her performance, Johnson would win the 2013 BAFTA Games Award for Best Performer, and would even secure it the next year as well for The Last of Us: Left Behind DLC. 

“It’s very weird,” Johnson told PlayStation’s blog in an interview for the original The Last of Us game about playing Ellie. “I think if you were voicing a character and then you see that person walking around with your body movements you’d think it was weird too. Weird and exciting. Mostly I’m just so excited that it’s done and I can’t wait for people to play it, knowing where the story goes. It’s going to be good!”

Johnson will appear in the season finale of HBO’s The Last of Us, taking on a special and somewhat meta role. In the series, Johnson is set to star as Anna, Ellie’s mother. This character has previously never been seen in the video games, so fans can expect something completely new and exciting when Johnson appears on screen in the season finale.