The fungus has taken hold over us, and if you’v been watching HBO’s The Last of Us then you will definitely remember Sam Hoeksema’s performance. He may look a little different, but he chewed up the scene in the second episode, chasing Joel, Ellie and Tess through an abandoned museum. That’s right, Hoeksema played that clicker. Giving us one of our first up close and personal looks at the evolution of these creatures in an advanced stage of the Infected, face covered by the Cordyceps virus which has erupted from the brain. This also gave us a featured glimpse at the amazing FX work of Barrie Gower and his team. Just look at that blooming and blossoming fungus face!
Hoeksema joined us to chat about making the move from a longtime fan of the game to embodying a “Clicker”, how the video game informed his movements, feelings about (culinary) mushrooms, and some pro tips on doing a chilling “Clicker” scream (hint: it involves tapping into your emo roots). Watch our full exclusive interview below.
And as an extra little treat, check out some more of these behind-the-scenes photos from Gower’s FX shop. The Last Of Us is now streaming on HBO Max with new episodes every Sunday.
