The Last of Us Season 2 Backlash Gets Perfect Response From Ellie Actress Ashley Johnson

Ellie's voice actress from the Last of Us games, Ashley Johnson, revealed her take on the fan backlash to The Last of Us Season 2 on HBO. Johnson played the plucky survivor in the original Last of Us video games, before the acclaimed PlayStation franchise leaped from the digital world and became a hit TV series starring Pedro Pascal, Kaitlyn Dever, and Gabriel Luna. However, leading the charge in the TV adaptation of the beloved post-apocalyptic series was Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Johnson's character. 

Ramsey's casting drew the ire of some fans, with a certain contingent of audiences saying the 22-year-old did not fit their vision of who Ellie from the games was. These complaints only intensified with the release of The Last of Us Season 2, as the series shifted its focus to an older Ellie embarking on a hate-fueled revenge tour across the U.S. 

Speaking with The Direct while promoting The Mighty Nein, Ashley Johnson commented on the adverse reaction to Season 2 of The Last of Us TV series, while also comparing it to the backlash The Last of Us Part II video game received upon its release.

"I feel like with The Last of Us, people really love that story, including me, and it's very, very passionate fans," Johnson posited, "And sometimes that passion feels really great, and sometimes it feels not great:"

The Direct: "The game, when it came out, had got a lot of pushback, and now Season 2 has had loud pushback in a very different way. So for you, what has it been like as someone that helped originate all of it, what has it been like to watch those reactions and how that's evolved as people engage with the story in different mediums?"

Ashley Johnson: "Yeah, I feel like with 'The Last of Us,' people really love that story, including me, and it's very, very passionate fans. And sometimes that passion feels really great, and sometimes it feels not great. But you know, I understand it. I understand loving something so much, and wanting it to be what you want it to be."

She continued, "It can be hard sometimes, when you are making these things," when the creator's vision does not line up with what the audience is hoping for. But Johnson admits that she personally "[loves] The Last of Us in every form, and I am so happy that I get to be a part of that telling of that story:"

Ashley Johnson: "But it can be hard sometimes, when you are making these things, and on your side of things, you're passionate about it, and excited about it, and hopefully that those two things can meet. Sometimes they do not. And that's hard, because I mean, anytime you're working on anything, you want people to like it, and you want people to love it as much as you. But I love 'The Last of Us' in every form, and I am so happy that I get to be a part of that telling of that story."

Johnson can be heard now as Ellie in The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II on PlayStation 4 and 5. As for the hit TV show, both seasons of HBO's zombie-infused drama are now streaming on HBO Max, with a third season expected to be released sometime in 2027.

Those looking for more of the Ellie voice actress can find her in Amazon Prime Video's The Mighty Nein. The new animated fantasy series is based on the second campaign of the beloved Dungeons & Dragons podcast Critical Role (read more about The Mighty Nein here).

The Complicated Reaction to The Last of Us TV Show

When Bella Ramsey was cast years before The Last of Us TV series ever came to screen, complaints immediately arose from a particular corner of the TLOU fandom. It seemed that some players of the games had a specific vision of Ellie in their minds, and, to them, Ramsey did not fit that.

Of course, the first season came and went, and for the most part, Ramsey's Ellie was celebrated, with the young star dispelling any doubts that she was the right person to play the character.

However, that conversation burbled back to the surface with the release of Season 2, as The Last of Us' sophomore effort changed its focus ever so slightly. Season 2 aged its characters up several years from the first game, a change that is much more evident in the games than it was in the TV show. This is when critiques of Ramsey's Ellie began to emerge yet again. This time, the common complaint was that Season 2's Ellie did not resemble the version of the hero seen in The Last of Us Part II.

In that game, Ellie is thrust forth on a revenge quest to kill a group of survivors who had wronged her. This sees her turning her back on everyone and everything that she loves as she slowly slips into the darkest recesses of her mind. Some TV audiences did not notice the gradual slipping away from Ramsey's character in Season 2, which came as more of a sudden shift about two-thirds through, rather than the slow descent depicted in the games.

The Last of Us TV show is ultimately an adaptation, meaning that yes, it is based on the game series of the same name, but it has featured some significant changes.

For fans of the games, the show will likely feel like Ramsey is not their version of Ellie, but this is technically its own unique product, meaning it will look, sound, and feel slightly different from its source material.