“It Would’ve Been A Terrible Mistake”: Why The Last Of Us Season 2 Didn’t Change Key Element Explained

The Last of Us season 2 brought a large chunk of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II to life with all the twists, turns, and heartbreak game fans might expect. Starring Bella Ramsey, the season followed Ellie on a journey of revenge with one character–Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby Anderson–in her sights. The series was adapted for the screen by Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin alongside returning players from the Naughty Dog original in game director Neil Druckmann and writer Halley Gross.

Another returning creative key to the identity of The Last of Us is Argentine composer Gustavo Santaolalla, whose music is part of the DNA of The Last of Us game and its sequel, The Last of Us Part II. For the television show, composing duties were split between Santaolalla and Superman composer David Fleming, with Fleming taking on some of the more action-packed moments and Santaolalla’s music often used for thematic, emotional scenes.

ScreenRant spoke with Gustavo Santaolalla about his work on The Last of Us season 2. Santaolalla shared insights into his career and composing process, and reflected on how his cameo in The Last of Us season 2 premiere came to be. Plus, the composer weighed in on why he thinks his music has had such a lasting impact.

The Last Of Us Was Always Going To Include The Game’s Music

“It Would Have Been A Terrible Mistake To Change That”

“Let’s start from the beginning,” said Gustavo Santaolalla, reflecting on what made him want to be a part of a game called The Last of Us over a decade ago, “I was writing music for a great story. I think you could do it [as] a puppet theater show [and] it will work, too.” It wasn’t the gameplay that the self-proclaimed “terrible gamer” was drawn to; it was the human relationships at the heart of the story. “That is what really moves the story, and what makes it so different,” Santaolalla said.

The composer recounted being approached by multiple video game companies after his success at the Oscars (he won back-to-back Best Original Score awards in 2006 and 2007), but said it took meeting game co-director Neil Druckmann to be won over. “I met Neil … and then, when he told me the story, I said, ‘This is what I’ve been looking for.’”

Flash-forward to 2023, and The Last of Us TV adaptation became an instant hit for HBO thanks in part to stunning recreations of fan-favorite game elements–including its soundtrack. “The fact that we kept the main themes, and we kept the sonic fabric of the series…” Santaolalla said, “I think it was a great help to bridge this transition from one thing to the other. I think it would have been a terrible mistake to change that.”

“The fact that we kept [the music],” Santaolalla added, “was a very good decision.”

The Last Of Us Season 2’s Music Is Craft Over Art

But Only Because The Art Already Existed

“In Spanish, you have the words ‘arte’ and ‘artesania’,” Santaolalla shared when asked if his composing process changed from game to show. “One thing is art, and the other thing is craft. Art involves the creation of the themes, melodies, harmony–the sonic fabric. The other thing is craft. ‘How do I make this to fit in that corner?’” Santaolalla’s themes already were part of the DNA of The Last of Us, so, “once you have that, [for] the rest, basically, there’s a lot of craft involved.”

Much of that new music was written by the series’ co-composer David Fleming who, even working independently from Santaolalla, worked to keep the tone and identity of the composer’s music alive even when composing for high-octane action sequences. Santaolalla praised Fleming as “somebody that understood that [tone] and will take it through action or violent things, but keep the parameters in mind in regards to sounds and the approach in general.”

The composer went on to define what the sound of The Last of Us is: “I think it is important, in the series and in the game, [to have] that economic use of an ensemble, and also the roughness–the rough edges [and] the imperfections, which are so important.”

Santaolalla also touched on a certain trademark of that sound: the ronroco, a South American guitar-like instrument. “I use the ronroco, but I’ve never gotten a comment from people saying, ‘I love that instrument from the Andes Mountains that you use.’ It’s so integrated [that] you don’t think about it. You just absorb it as if it was a clarinet or an instrument in the orchestra.”

Gustavo Santaolalla’s The Last Of Us Season 2 Premiere Cameo, Explained

“Since I Was In The Game, I Should Be In The Series”

Some viewers likely noticed a familiar face in The Last of Us season 2 premiere, when Gustavo Santaolalla was caught performing on camera in a scene alongside the band Crooked Still. While that’s something of an Easter egg in its own right, the moment is also a callback to Santaolalla’s cameo in The Last of Us Part II game. What’s more, the TV moment was apparently brought to life in part thanks to that game’s fans.

“I knew that meant for me to keep that [secret],” the composer continued. “I was not able to tell my son. We filmed this in Canada, and they're super secret about [it, with] all these non-disclosure agreements. The same thing happened with the game–I couldn't tell anybody. [Otherwise], it comes immediately on the net, everywhere. It was a lot of fun,” Santaolalla added, “and collaborating with Crooked Still was great.”

How Tom Morello Became Part Of The Last Of Us Season 2

"I'm A Huge Fan Of Rage And Audioslave"

Gustavo Santaolalla is far from being only a film and game composer. “I started making records when I was 17,” he shared, “and I started as an artist and producer, because I was always interested in the art of making records.” The composer has produced over 100 albums of Latin alternative music, “that goes from Café Tacuba to Julieta Venegas to Juanes to Kronos Quartet.”

When asked if he’d like to bring any of his collaborators onto a score for The Last of Us, Santaolalla replied with “I would love to, but that is something that is really up to Neil. The Last of Us is his baby, and he’s very protective.”

But one artist did make it in, with Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello featuring on a new version of “The Path” adapted from The Last of Us Part II. Santaolalla shared that it was actually showrunner Craig Mazin that had the idea, not him: “Craig said, ‘I’m friends with Tom Morello. Would you consider…?’” It was an easy answer for Santaolalla, who said, “I’m a huge fan of Rage and Audioslave. Of course I would. So, I met Tom, and politically we are on the same page, so yes, I would love to.”

Gustavo Santaolalla Reflects On The Enduring Impact Of His Music

“It Has Brought Me Something Very Special In My Life”

With The Last of Us season 2 wrapped and season 3 on the way, Santaolalla reflected on the impact of the game’s–and show’s–music. “It is amazing how many kids, because of The Last of Us, started to play guitar.” “And the ronroco, too–kids are playing ronroco … ronroco is an obscure instrument, and now you go to YouTube and you’ll find tutorials.”

The composer recounted a story about a show he played in Helsinki, Finland. At the meet and greet after the show, “I got this girl [who] came to me and said, ‘I’m 21 years old, but I’m a fan of yours since I was 10 because my dad bought The Last of Us, and [I’d hear] that music all the time. And now, I play guitar because of that.”

On one hand, Santaolalla understands why someone might choose to learn his work, saying “My melodies are easy to play. It’s something that somebody can play, so it’s not inaccessible.” But, on the other, he shared that he is still blown away by the response. “It is amazing how many kids, because of The Last of Us, started to play guitar,” he said, “and the ronroco, too–kids are playing ronroco … ronroco is an obscure instrument, and now you go to YouTube and you’ll find tutorials.”

This is true for both the game and the show, the composer said: “The great thing for me, and great achievement, was actually being able to go from one medium to the other one and not only gain new fans, because the story is great, but [keep] the people that were already fans of the game. [They] didn't say, ‘Oh no, man, this is not like the game,’ or whatever. They embraced the series too. That's been a great achievement, I think.”