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Fans of the HBO series, The Last of Us, would be aware of the game of the same name, on which the show is based. However, many are unaware that besides the plot and the characters, the show shares several other similarities to the game developed by Naughty Dog.
For instance, Ashley Johnson, who played Ellie's mom in the inaugural season of the post-apocalyptic series, was also a crucial part of the games. Johnson's character appeared in a flashback sequence in the season, and her experiences seemingly hinted at how Ellie might have developed an immunity towards the Infected.
For those wondering how Johnson is associated with The Last of Us games, she lent her voice and was the basis of the characterization of Ellie in The Last of Us (2013), The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014), and The Last of Us Part II (2020).
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Johnson even won a British Academy Games Award for Performer for the first two.
Ashley Johnson has been active in the industry since 1990. She has worked in films and TV, in front and behind the camera. She has also lent her voice to several video games over the years.
Actress Ashley Johnson plays Ellie's mom in The Last of Us
Ashley Johnson, full name Ashley Suzanne Johnson, was born on August 9, 1983, in Camarillo, California, USA, to parents Nancy and Cliff Johnson.
Her IMDb page mentions that her father worked as a captain of an exploration ship. His job was transferable, and for the same reason, she, along with her family, had to make gradual shifts.
One of the places Johnson lived for a considerable amount of time was Franklin, Michigan. As per IMDb, she considers the place "The Town That Time Forgot."
Ashley Johnson got her big Hollywood break in the 1990 film Lionheart, in which she played Nicole Gaultier.
In the same year, she also made her television debut with the show Growing Pains, in which she played Chrissy Seaver. She played the role till 1992.
From 1991 to 1994, Johnson was mostly absent from the big screen but contributed to several television projects. In 1993, she appeared in the television film Men Don't Tell as Cindy.
She also did a lot of voice acting that year, having lent her voice to the role of Granddaughter in the television special The Town Santa Forgot, and Holly in the television special Timmy's Special Delivery: A Precious Moments Christmas.
Between 1993 and 1994, Ashley Johnson was part of the primary cast of Phenom, in which she played Mary Margaret Doolan. In 1994, Johnson appeared in All-American Girl, where she appeared in the starring role of Casey Emmerson.
In 1995, Johnson returned to the big screen with her film Nine Months, in which she played Shannon Dwyer.
Throughout her decades-long career, Ashley Johnson has appeared in several films, including What Women Want (2000), The Failures (2003), Columbus Day (2008), and The Help (2011).
Some of the shows Johnson has been a part of through the years include Maybe This Time (1995-1996), Kelly Kelly (1998), Lloyd in Space (2002), and Blindspot (2015–2020).
Her latest stint in front of the camera for a television show was in The Last of Us, where she played Ellie's mother.
As previously mentioned, Johnson was also a voice actor. Some of the films and TV projects she has lent her voice to include Jumanji (1996-1999), Recess (1997-2001), Recess: School's Out (2001), Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! (2004-2006), Ben 10: Alien Force (2008-2010), and The Legend of Vox Machina (2022- present).
One of the prominent video games Ashley Johnson has collaborated with includes the Ben 10 games (2008-2010) in which she voiced Gwen Tennyson.
As previously mentioned, between 2013 and 2020, Johnson voiced Ellie in The Last of Us, The Last of Us: Left Behind, and The Last of Us Part II.
In 2015, she voiced Petra in the Minecraft: Story Mode video game. She resumed the role in 2017 for Minecraft: Story Mode – Season Two.
What does Ashley Johnson have to say about her character in the HBO series?
After Ashley Johnson appeared as Ellie's mom in The Last of Us season 1, she gave an interview to Entertainment Weekly, which was published on March 12, 2023. In that article, Johnson discussed how it felt being part of the show:
"It's wild. It's surreal and bizarre. To be able to give birth to the character and to also be the first character to fight to keep Ellie alive... Yeah, the layers of it are not lost on me."
She also considered herself lucky for being a part of the games and the show and said:
"That's not the norm for video game adaptations. Usually the voiceover or motion-capture actors don't also go along to the screen adaptation. So I think there was a little bit of shock there and also a lot of emotion."
The Last of Us season 2 is currently airing on HBO.
