Will this dead character return in season 2 of The Last Of Us? So says original star Merle Dandridge

Until now, “The Last Of Us” was only available in Germany on Sky, its associated streaming service WOW and as a purchase VoD. Now the lavish Critically acclaimed video game adaptation also available on DVD, standard Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray. Reason enough to speak to a number of actors about the special series. After “Tommy” Gabriel Luna, we have a very special cast member in Merle Dandridge, who has embodied the role of the badass Firefly leader Marlene in both the video game template and now in the series.

Aside from “The Last Of Us”, Dandridge has also lent her signature voice to some popular video game characters such as Alyx Vance from the shooter hit “Half-Life 2”. In an interview she explains to us why she is not a gamer herself and whether we could see Marlene in season 2 despite her fate in season 1…

Merle Danridge: I wish I was a gamer. I tried so hard to play these games because they really mean a lot to me. There are some of my absolute favorite stories in the video game medium. And the video game characters I’ve had the pleasure of impersonating are some of the most polished and beautiful characters ever. It was always a great experience to do that. But for some reason I just can’t handle controllers, despite my good eye-hand coordination.

Merle Danridge: This is fantastic. So many people who were devoted to and passionate about this story and the characters are now having this experience that you describe. They can now share this with their loved ones in a way that suits them better than watching you play the game for 14 hours.

Merle Danridge: I had to, yes. And then I got a call from Neil Druckmann, the creator of the game, who said he was really happy to cast me as Marlene again. And it was important to go through that process, because as an artist I was different ten years after the first game. And the way she Marlene with the input of the brilliant [Showrunners] Craig Mazin wanted to portray in the adaptation was also a bit different than back then. At the same time I also wondered: can I do that at all? After all, I only embodied her using motion capture. It was an exciting challenge.

Merle Danridge: Much of their backstory has remained the same. But how I feel about this story as an artist was a little bit different with ten years more life experience. And some of the key points of who she is were a little different, like her relationship with Ellie. It is implied in the game that they were a team and that Ellie had known her as a mother figure for some time. However, in the series, Ellie meets Marlene for the first time.

But with just one beautifully written scene, we see the bond between them grow stronger, eventually leading to Ellie entrusting her with her life. It was a big gamble and added a lot of weight to this scene. But from the moment I [Ellie-Darstellerin] bella [Ramsey] met, I knew we would succeed in making the whole thing credible. Bella is such an open person, so empathetic, kind and soulful. We got along very well right away.

More than just a retelling

Ashley Johnson

Merle Danridge: When I found out Ashley was there, I cried with joy, both for myself because we have scenes together, but also for the fans who get to see it. As a hardcore video game fan, you know that there are little hints in every corner of the game to many more stories, some of which are now making their way into the HBO adaptation and will continue to delight fans in the future. Probably, many players also did not know about the depth of the relationship between Marlene and Anna, if they did not find the corresponding clue in the game. It was thrilling to work out one of the most terrifying and traumatic experiences that turned Marlene into the iron soldier we know.

Merle Danridge: I’m sure they could have cast 100 great actresses for the part. But I have a special bond with her, which I hope has been carried over onto the screen. It also made it clear to the fans that we notice them. And actually I’m actually not the only one who got to play her role from the game in the series. There’s a certain nurse in the last scene… (laughs)

Merle Dandrige: That’s correct. It’s another nod to the fans that shows we love the template as much as they do and want to stay true to it.

Merle Danridge: I am very happy with that, it is so well deserved. When I read the scripts, I couldn’t believe how these stories were played out in such a way that even for someone like me who knows the script so well, just reading it was so heartbreaking. And when I got on set and saw the artistry with which each individual made all of that lickable was just amazing. On set and even while watching the series, my eyes were constantly wandering everywhere to take it all in. I was touched because I saw how much people care about me.

Merle Danridge: There was an awful lot of mess, sometimes even a little too much, because there was a lot of laughter on set and everyone was having so much fun. [Joel-Darsteller] Pedro [Pascal] and Bella are hilarious. But what was really special was the shooting day with the giraffe, with whom I was on set. But also the opportunity to get into Marlene’s skin and really live in this world and not just be on a motion capture stage was an inexhaustible source of good humor for me.

Marlene Flashback in “The Last Of Us” Season 2?

Merle Dandridge: The great thing is that the storytelling is non-linear, there is a lot of jumping back and forth in time. So the possibilities for telling these stories are endless. And yes, Marlene has a bigger story in the second game, so there’s still a lot to tell about her.

Merle Dandridge: (laughs) The ending of The Last Of Us is so full of emotion and just the perfect template for discussion. People will be talking about this for a long time. Horrid as Joel may seem at times, it is so brilliantly written that the audience understands and empathizes with his pain. At the same time, especially after a real pandemic, you wonder what you would sacrifice to save not only those around you, but everyone. So whose side am I on? Don’t know. I could never say that. One moment it is one, the next moment it is the other.