The Last Of Us’ Murray Bartlett reveals his partner was “really affected” by the transformation

The Last Of Us star Murray Bartlett has revealed that his real-life partner was “really affected” by his aging transformation on the HBO series.

The actor took center stage in the third episode of the drama, which depicted a love story between his character Frank and doomsday set-up Bill, played by Nick Offerman, earning him acclaim from fans and critics.

The episode depicted the couple’s 20-year love story, in the guise of a devastating apocalypse caused by a deadly fungal outbreak.

Makeup was used to age Murray and Nick’s appearances after Frank suffered from a debilitating illness, as he and Bill ended their lives together in heartbreaking scenes.

speaking to the independent At a press event ahead of the episode, which aired on Sunday, Murray admitted that his partner had trouble separating his real-life appearance from his on-screen performance.

Speaking about the hair and makeup department that helped transform him for the scenes, Murray said, “Man, they did such an amazing job.”

“I will say that my partner that I watched the episode with was really affected by it… He turned to me at the end and said, ‘I don’t want you to get sick.'” [laughs]. So he really internalized it and obviously had trouble detaching himself from the fact that he was watching me on a TV show, which I think is a good sign.

“It’s not a good sign that I’ll possibly get sick when I’m old, but the integrity of the work was powerful for him.”

In the final moments of the episode, an elderly Frank, suffering from a degenerative disease, asks Bill to help him end his life, and the couple wed before sharing one last meal together.

When Bill fills Frank’s wineglass with a deadly dose of pills, he reveals that he has taken the same amount as well, and the couple retire to bed before dying in each other’s arms.

The poignant episode was a stark shift in tone for the apocalyptic drama, based on the game of the same name, offering a comprehensive look into Bill’s past and his relationship with Frank.

The zombie outbreak sees closet doomsday preparer Bill take in traveler Frank, with the pair falling in love and staying together their entire lives, with fans praising Bill’s romantic line: “I’m old.” I am satisfied. And you were my purpose.

Viewers took to social media to praise the show for portraying a gay romance through a positive lens, writing: “The Last of Us created one of the most beautiful portrayals of love and devotion and growing old together in which no I can stop thinking.” it was perfection’.

Emotional: The actor took center stage in the third episode of the drama, which depicted a love story between his character Frank and Bill, played by Nick Offerman.

Different! Makeup was used to age Murray and Nick’s appearances after Frank suffered from a debilitating illness, as he and Bill ended their lives together in heartbreaking scenes.

Different: Murray (pictured last month) admitted his real-life partner struggled to separate his appearance from his on-screen acting

Emotional: The episode has been praised by fans and critics alike, with many stars praising Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett for their performances.

Nick has also received acclaim from fans for his performance in the gay romance, with some claiming that he is the only straight actor allowed to play a gay role.

But Nick’s performance has changed many minds and convinced viewers that he is the “exception to the rule.”

The preview for next week’s episode shows a first look at Melanie Lynskey’s character Kathleen as Joel and Ellie head west in their new pickup truck.

HBO announced last week, when it renewed The Last of Us, that the series’ premiere episode has surpassed 22 million viewers via on-demand formats, five times the audience of linear streaming.

In Love: In devastating scenes, Frank, suffering from a degenerative disease, asks Bill to help him end his life, and the couple wed before sharing one last meal together.

Praised: When Bill fills Frank’s wineglass with a deadly dose of pills, he reveals that he has taken the same amount as well, and the pair retire to bed before dying in each other’s arms.

Episode 2 of The Last of Us recorded 5.7 million viewers on HBO Max and linear streams in the US on Sunday night, according to Nielsen and own data, adding more than 1 million new viewers ahead of the premiere. from the series.

This 22% jump marks the largest second-week viewership growth for any HBO original drama series in the network’s history.

The Last of Us was also a hit on social media, with the series trending #1 both in the US and worldwide on Twitter during its series debut.

To date, the trailers and trailers for the first season have amassed over 100 million views worldwide.

Additionally, the first episode of the series companion podcast reached #1 on the US Apple Podcast charts across all genres within 48 hours of its release.

The Last Of Us launches on HBO Max in the US and streams on Sky Atlantic in the UK.

High Praise: Viewers took to social media to praise the show for portraying a gay romance through a positive lens.