As devastating as The Last of Us‘ finale was, for once it’s not Pedro Pascal or Bella Ramsey who are basking in the spotlight. This time around, it’s Ellie’s mom, Anna.
“Look for the Light” begins with Ellie’s (Ramsey) birth. The tragic scene shows how Ellie may have become immune to the Cordyceps brain infection and the sacrifice her mom had to make on her behalf mere minutes after her birth. But who plays Anna? Here’s everything you need to know about Ashley Johnson, Ellie’s acclaimed voice actor from the video games.
Who Plays Ellie’s Mom in The Last of Us?
Are you ready for some perfect casting? Ellie’s mom Anna is played by Ashley Johnson, the actor who voiced Ellie in Par I, Left Behind, and Part II. So Anna isn’t Bella Ramsey’s mom, but in a way she is Ellie’s.
What Are Ashley Johnson’s Other Shows and Movies?
When it comes to Johnson’s voice acting work, she’s best known for playing Ellie in The Last of Us games. She’s won two BAFTA Games Awards for the first game and Left Behind, making her the first person to win this honor more than once. But our apocalypse girl is far from her first animated role. Johnson has also voiced Gretchen in Recess, Terra on Teen Titans, Shiseru on Naruto: Shippuden, and Tulip on Infinity Train.
Johnson also has a history of on-camera roles. She started her career as a child actor by playing Chrissy Seaver on Growing Pains. Additionally, she’s appeared in The Killing, Blindspot, What Women Want, The Help, and Much Ado About Nothing.
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Who Does Laura Bailey Play in The Last of Us?
Ashley Johnson isn’t the only major cameo hiding in this season finale (mild spoilers ahead). The season ended with Joel saving Ellie from a hospital. Joel murders a surgeon in cold blood as two doctors who are also in the operating room hold up their hands and back away. One of those doctors? She’s played by none other than Laura Bailey, the voice actor behind Abby in The Last of Us Part II.
Who Is Abby in The Last of Us?
Unlike the first Last of Us, its sequel switches between two protagonists. There’s Ellie, four years after what happened at the hospital, and Abby, a Firefly. Are you ready for some major spoilers? Because there are major spoilers ahead.
In the second game players learn that the surgeon Joel murdered was Abby’s dad. Part II starts with Abby avenging her late father, which prompts Ellie’s own cycle of vengeance. So Bailey’s appearance in the finale is more than just a fun Easter egg. It’s a nod about what’s to come and a way for this major character’s “mother” to also be included during a seminal moment of the HBO show.
What Are Laura Bailey’s Other Shows and Movies?
Bailey is best known for her voice acting roles in anime and video games. She played Kid Trunks in Dragon Ball Z, Tohru Honda in Fruits Basket, Lust in Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and Vex in The Legend of Vox Machina. On the video game side of things, she’s appeared in Call of Duty: Vanguard, World of Warcraft, Mass Effect 3, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and Gears of War. Her role as Abby Anderson earned Bailey a BAFTA Award for Best Performer in a Leading Role.
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