Hello Gabriel Luna, how are you? How is the excitement for the second season?
Gabriel Luna: I’m good, sir, thank you. It’s growing daily. I’m somebody who likes to watch on a week-to-week basis, so I haven’t seen anything. I’m really happy and excited to see everyone.
I want to start with your character. Tommy is trying to protect everybody, Joel, he’s trying to protect Ellie, and he’s also trying to protect himself. He feels a little stuck, I feel. This season, he seems more fragile and emotionally withdrawn compared to the first season. What was it like for you as an actor to explore that shift?
Gabriel Luna: Yeah, I think he has so much more to lose now, with the birth of his son, you know, Benjamin, and his wife, and his community… So much responsibility. He’s afraid of failing them and losing them. And I think that was important for me because he is a very capable warrior, I didn’t want to play him like he’s some kind of superhero. Because he’s not, he’s a mortal man. And I wanted there to be fear, not necessarily for himself, but fear for all the people he loves and for his community. So, yeah, he’s being pulled in all directions by all the people he loves, who all want something, who are all kind of working towards their different goals. It’s a tough place for him to be, for somebody who, as strong as he is, has a very soft and open heart. So it was exciting to explore all that. And also, he’s getting older, you know? So there’s also a hardening of his demeanor as he’s getting older that somewhat resembles Joel, who he is and who he is in his age. So a lot of cool elements to play, and I was really, really excited to dive into all that.
Tommy is a fan-favorite character in the games. How do you see the difference between the Tommy from the game and your inspiration in the series?
Gabriel Luna: I think there are a lot of similarities. I guess the differences would just be what my instincts were that day, like when it comes down to the scene. I’m not thinking of my experience playing the game. I’m not thinking of how I perceived that character. I’m just looking into the eyes of my scene partner and trying to discover the truth and to tell the truth. And I think that is what creates the differences for people who’ve experienced the story in both mediums. But personally, I was very inspired by Jeffrey Pierce’s performance, but I was also pleasantly surprised by how close this character is to my true nature. That’s all you can ever ask for, a way into a character. And I already felt like we were already one, kind of, going into it. So, I think there are a lot of similarities here, but the differences just arise from the story being developed differently in live action.
So, the relationship between Tommy and Joel carries so much love but also a lot of unresolved tension. How did it affect you to build that complex brotherhood with Pedro Pascal?
Gabriel Luna: Yeah, we built a really great connection in the first season. And I think that going into the second season, there’s a lot of closeness there within the characters. I think our relationship translates to the screen in a really great way. I think it’s a difficult position for Tommy to be in, as I’m kind of pulled between Joel and Ellie, and the conflict they’re having, and the rift that exists between them. You know, there are moments where I kind of have to lie to him to keep Ellie’s secrets and to consider her feelings. But at the same time, I love my brother, and I realize he’s doing his best for Ellie, and I don’t want to hurt him. So, you know, I take her out shooting, and I’m like, “Oh no, I was there on my own.” Different little things like that don’t seem as damaging as they actually might truly be, towards both Tommy’s inner spirit and everyone’s, the tethers that bind all the characters. So it’s a really interesting place to be. And my relationship with him, he’s the only blood I have on the planet, except for my son, which is his blood as well. And that’s a beautiful kind of dynamic.
