Troy Baker has had many video game roles over the years. He is Indiana Jones in The Great Circle, he is Sam Drake in the Uncharted series, he is Booker Dewitt in Bioshock, he is Higgs in Death Stranding… The list goes on (and on and on and on).
One of his most famous roles, though, is Joel in The Last of Us. Baker portrayed the cynical smuggler turned surrogate father in 2013’s original release, before reprising his role in 2020’s sequel. But, while Joel may have elevated Baker’s career, the actor has admitted he was “woefully unprepared” for the part.
During a Q&A at GalaxyCon New Orleans 2025, Baker was asked if playing Joel had affected him personally, to which Baker jokingly quipped “you’re trying to make me cry”. He then elaborated on his role further, saying it had affected him “deeply” in many different ways.