Troy Baker, a highly acclaimed voice actor, has breathed life into countless memorable video game characters. His extensive portfolio includes iconic roles such as Sam Drake in Uncharted, Booker DeWitt in Bioshock: Infinite, Higgs in Death Stranding, and most notably, Joel Miller in The Last of Us. He is also set to portray Indy in the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
During a recent panel discussion at GalaxyCon New Orleans, Baker was asked about the personal impact of playing Joel. He revealed that the role affected him “deeply” in various ways, including an overwhelming sense of being “woefully unprepared” for the part.
Baker elaborated on this feeling, describing it not as impostor syndrome, but as a genuine lack of readiness for the task at hand. He drew an analogy to standing on a bungee jumping platform and realizing, “I can`t do this.” For him, accepting the role of Joel in The Last of Us brought a similar revelation: “Oh no, I have to deliver this.”
He recounted a moment of shared apprehension with his co-star, Ashley Johnson, who voices Ellie. Baker turned to Johnson, expressing their collective burden: “Do you realize that if this thing sucks, it`s our fault?”
Despite these initial anxieties, Baker praised Naughty Dog, the developers, for their masterful storytelling, building on their established success with the Uncharted series. He emphasized that the narrative depth of The Last of Us significantly contributed to his growth as an actor.
He explained that portraying Joel taught him to abandon the need to constantly prove his acting abilities. Instead, he learned to truly inhabit the character, understanding that Joel himself was simply living a moment in his life, oblivious to being part of a game. Baker stated that he adopted this profound lesson and applied it to all his subsequent roles.
In recent developments, Baker reprised his role as Higgs in Death Stranding 2, released this month. Additionally, it was announced in July that he will be lending his voice to Jack Pepper, the protagonist of the upcoming game Mouse: P.I. for Hire.