Featured Image Credit: HBO. Nintendo
Topics: News, Celebrity, Film and TV, LGBTQ
Charisa Bossinakis
Nick Offerman has revealed he hasn’t played The Last of Us due to an addiction he once had to Banjo-Kazooie.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the comedian said he would not be playing the 2013 post-apocalyptic video game anytime soon.
"Twenty-five years ago I played my last video game, and I'm very indulgent," he said. "I lost a couple of weeks to a video game called Banjo-Kazooie.
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"Two weeks went by and I was like, 'oh my god the slow dopamine drip is so delicious'. Then it's over and you're like 'yes I won'.
"And immediately I'm like 'what have I done with my life'."
I mean, at least he knows his poison.
He added: "So I decided that I'm never going to do that again, and thankfully because games have gotten so good, like The Last of Us, that I think I'd be in a basement and I wouldn't even be going to audition for shows like this."
The actor is currently starring in the TV adaption of the game, portraying Bill alongside Murray Bartlett (Frank), an unlikely couple living in an isolated town following a deadly viral infection running rampant in the US.
While the first two episodes of the series focused on the last remaining survivors of the pandemic, the third episode took a slight turn and centered around the romantic relationship between Bill and Frank.
The episode has received rave reviews, as many praised the series for delving into a queer storyline - something you don’t usually see in the genre.
However, co-creator Craig Mazin revealed that Offerman, known for playing masculine characters such as Ron Swanson, wasn’t his first choice for the role.
Initially, Bill was meant to be played by Chernobyl actor Con O'Neill, but the actor pulled out due to scheduling conflicts with Our Flag Means Death.
Mazin ultimately cast Offerman after heavy deliberation, as the actor would be a straight man playing a queer character.
He told The Last of Us Podcast:” For Nick and for me, both straight men, it was important to say, ‘Look, we can do this work. We can tell these stories with these characters.’
“The key is you have to do your homework, and you have to talk to people who have walked in the shoes of these characters, and most importantly, have to give them room to tell you where you got a right and where you've gotten it wrong, and you have to listen.”