Troy Baker Spills the Beans: Turns Out He Felt 'Woefully Unprepared' for The Last of Us' Joel
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Troy Baker, voice of Joel in *The Last of Us*, admitted he felt unprepared for the role, a testament to the pressure and impact of the game; which is both reassuring and incredibly humbling. It's a reminder that even the best of us have those 'oh crikey' moments.
Right, so Troy Baker – the man, the myth, the voice behind Joel in *The Last of Us* – has come clean. Turns out, even the best of us feel a bit like we're winging it sometimes. According to *Eurogamer*, Baker admitted he felt "woefully unprepared" for the role that arguably cemented his legendary status.
I mean, seriously, this is the guy who's voiced everyone from Indiana Jones to Booker DeWitt. You'd think he'd be immune to stage fright by now. But nope, even he felt the pressure when staring down the barrel of *The Last of Us*.
He recounted a Q&A at GalaxyCon New Orleans 2025 where he confessed that playing Joel affected him "deeply." "There's nothing worse...do you ever show up to something and go 'I am so woefully unprepared for this'?" he said. "And, it's not imposter syndrome, it's a fact. You are not equipped to do the thing that you are about to do."
Imagine being Troy Baker, landing the role of a lifetime, and then realizing the sheer weight of expectation. The man's a pro, but even pros have their moments of 'bloody hell, what have I gotten myself into?'. He compared it to signing up for a bungee jump and then promptly regretting every life choice you've ever made while standing on the precipice.
Baker remembers those early script readings with Ashley Johnson (Ellie) and the development team at Naughty Dog. He turned to Johnson and said, "Do you realize that if this thing sucks, it's our fault?" Naughty Dog had already conquered the world with *Uncharted*, so they knew the story they wanted to tell. That meant the pressure was on Baker and Johnson to absolutely nail their performances. No pressure, right?
But here's the kicker: Baker says *The Last of Us* actually made him a better actor. It forced him to stop trying to *act* and just *be* Joel – a man completely unaware he's trapped inside a video game. That's some next-level method acting, if you ask me. And it's a lesson he's carried with him ever since.
So next time you're feeling a bit overwhelmed by a new challenge, remember even Troy Baker, the voice of Joel, felt like he was in over his head. And he still knocked it out of the park. Fair play, Troy, fair play.
Besides his iconic performance in *The Last of Us*, Baker's also been keeping busy. He recently reprised his role as Higgs in *Death Stranding 2* and will voice Jack Pepper in *Mouse: P.I. for Hire*. Naughty Dog, meanwhile, is releasing a book containing the video game scripts for *The Last of Us* and *The Last of Us: Left Behind*. They're also working on *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*, starring Tati Gabrielle.
Tags: The Last of Us, Troy Baker, Naughty Dog, Voice Acting, Gaming News
Original article: Eurogamer