The Last Of Us Season 2, Episode 4's Unexpected Guest Star Reveals How He Joined The HBO Show

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for The Last of Us season 2, episode 4, "Day One."

Josh Peck breaks down how he joined The Last of Us. Season 2 of the hit HBO show has seen the scope of the story expand far beyond Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as several new factions of survivors and the conflicts between them are introduced. The Last of Us season 2, episode 4 begins with a flashback to 2018 featuring several FEDRA soldiers, one of whom is played by Peck, and uses the scene to introduce Jeffrey Wright's character Isaac as well.

During an interview with Variety, Peck was asked whether he was a fan of the video games or of season 1 before he auditioned. He says that he initially did not watch the show when it first came out because "I'm kind of a wimp," but after landing the audition, he binge-watched all of season 1, which gave him a better understanding of how to play his FEDRA character. Peck added that he was "so excited" when he got the part because "I don't usually get things as good as this." Check out Peck's comments below:

To be honest, I’m kind of a wimp. So when the show first came out, knowing how big the video game is, I didn’t watch it at first. Then when I got the audition, I’m like, “Let me make sure I understand.” Obviously I knew that people were obsessed with the show and how huge it was, but I really wanted to make sure that I was matching the tone for the audition. So I watched the first episode, and eight hours later I had watched them all. It grabbed me immediately. It was just an audition that came in and, like most great writing, when I read the scene, I was like, “I think I know how to do this.” I sent it out into the universe and hoped, but sort of didn’t expect to hear anything back because I don’t usually get things as good as this. So when I heard back, I was so excited.

What This Means For The Last Of Us

Josh Peck's Cameo Is Unexpected & Important

While Josh Peck's The Last of Us cameo was surprising and arguably a little jarring at first, the actor did his research ahead of time to make sure his performance aligned with the show's tone. The arrogance of his FEDRA character feels consistent with what was established about the militant government agency in season 1. Before Joel and Tess (Annie Wersching) set out with Ellie, they are seen living under FEDRA in Boston, and their power seems absolute.

That feeling is reinforced by Peck's character laughing as he tells a crass and violent story that shows how little he thinks of the people who live under FEDRA in The Last of Us. Knowing that Peck watched all of season 1 adds to his performance, allowing him to better understand the role FEDRA plays in this post-apocalyptic world, and how his character encapsulates that. His character embodies the worst of FEDRA and adds more weight to introducing Isaac as someone who turns against the government agency.

Our Take On Josh Peck's Comments

His Role Is Effective & Exciting In The Last Of Us

With being best known for starring in Drake & Josh, Peck is generally considered to be a comedic actor. From appearing in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer to his cameo in The Last of Us, it is exciting to see him gradually breaking out of this typecasting, and to see how enthusiastic he is about these opportunities. His Last of Us role was handled well, as it did an effective job of reminding the audience about FEDRA's true nature while introducing Isaac.

The scene was also effective because Peck brought a sense of normalcy to the scene, and between this and being a big-name star, the audience is lulled into a false sense of security. That makes it all the more surprising when Isaac kills Peck's character and the rest of the FEDRA soldiers in the vehicle. While the actor's time in The Last of Us was short-lived, he made the most of it and is at the center of one of season 2's most memorable scenes so far.

Source: Variety