The Last Of Us Finale Hid A Huge Sequel Cameo In Plain Sight
The first season of HBO's "The Last of Us" took every opportunity it could to pay tribute to the game series that started it all. For example, HBO snuck in a few actor cameos that only "The Last of Us" superfans were able to spot. Those familiar with the games realized that an integral character in Episode 8 of the show was played by none other than Troy Baker, the original voice of Joel, while Ashley Johnson (the original Ellie) appears at the beginning of Episode 9.
Now that the finale has aired, fans are discussing a blink-and-you-'ll-miss-it cameo by actress Laura Bailey. Laura Bailey is a veteran voice actress featured in some of the biggest video games, such as "Uncharted 4" and 2018's "Marvel's Spider-Man." But arguably, her most well-known role is as the divisive protagonist Abby in "The Last of Us Part 2." While she doesn't play Abby in the first season finale, she does appear in a scene that holds great significance for the character.
Laura Bailey appears as a nurse
Spoilers ahead for "The Last of Us" games and HBO series.
Towards the end of "The Last of Us" Season 1 finale, after Joel gets done blasting through dozens of Fireflies on his quest to save Ellie, a familiar face can be seen overlooking Ellie as she lies unconscious on an operating table. Laura Bailey can be spotted as one of the nurses attending to Ellie. Because she only appears briefly and wears a surgical mask, many missed her appearance during their first viewing. And after it was pointed out by the actress herself on Twitter that it was indeed her in the scene, many were shocked. But interestingly, Bailey's cameo has a few major connection to the game that are also easy to miss.
— Laura Bailey (@LauraBaileyVO) March 13, 2023
During the same scene in "The Last of Us" game, Laura Bailey voices a nurse named Kari, who calls Joel a "f***ing animal" after seeing firsthand how many Fireflies he's killed to rescue Ellie. After this, players are given a choice to either kill or spare the nurse. Bailey's cameo allowed her to essentially play the same character again, albeit without a name in the credits. It's also worth noting that the head surgeon killed in this scene is revealed to be Abby's father in "The Last of Us Part 2," deepening the meta nature of Laura Bailey's appearance in the scene.
Because she was masked up for her Season 1 cameo, showrunner Craig Mazin teased during a press event (via EW) that Bailey could show up again in Season 2 as a different character.