When TV directorPeter Hoar(It’s a Sin) signed on to helm one episode from Season 1 ofThe Last of Us, he had no idea which episode he would get. As it turns out, Hoar ended up taking on the task of bringing to life “Long, Long Time,” which was a pretty early shift in gears for the series and revealed a whole new side of the show to viewers. In an interview toDeadline, however, Hoar revealed that there was no pressure to make this episode stand out from the rest of the series.
While “Long, Long Time” certainly sounds likethe kind of episodethat would need careful consideration and heavy involvement of the showrunner – in this case,Craig Mazin(Chernobyl) – Hoar commented that he was pretty much free to try the approach he wanted for the delicate and tragic love story of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett). In fact, the director explains that Mazin had basically one note for the series’ slate of directors:
“He didn’t say, ‘you have a different episode, go make it look different.’ In fact, if anything, he would’ve probably said, ‘go and look at what we’ve done and that’s the show.’ The only thing he was really keen on was the way the camera was used. It was fundamentally a handheld camera show, which was something that I think he was really into for his previous show, ‘Chernobyl.’ I think it’s something that Craig responded to in its realness, its vérité. But that was really the only thing he asked us to do.”
Episode 3 Is One of the High Points ofThe Last of Us
“Long, Long Time” ended up becoming one of the most celebrated episodes fromThe Last of Us, and it earned Hoar anEmmy nominationfor Best Directing for a Drama Series, as well as guest star nominations for Offerman and Bartlett. As the end of the year starts inching closer, you’re bound to hear the episode come up again as it makes lists ofbest of 2023.
Season 1 ofThe Last of Uswas overflowing with top-quality guest stars; aside from Offerman and Bartlett, the batch of episodes also broughtMelanie Lynskey(Yellowjackets),Gabriel Luna(FUBAR),Anna Torv(Mindhunter),Rutina Wesley(True Blood),Storm Reid(Euphoria),John Hannah(Spartacus),Troy Baker(Solar Opposites) andMerle Dandridge(Station 19) – these last two voiced Joel and Marlene in the video game.
Season 2 ofThe Last of Usis gearing up to adapt the highly acclaimed second installment in the video game series,The Last of Us Part II. Production will only start after the currentSAG-AFTRA and WGA strikeends though, which means we won’t seenew episodes until 2025.
