Nick Offerman has some choice words for the homophobes targeting his guest role in The Last of Us.
For many fans of the HBO series, the best episode of the first season was 'Long, Long Time'.
The episode was a deviation from the arc concerning main characters Joel and Ellie, with the focus instead being on two men named Frank and Bill, who were played by Murray Bartlett and Offerman respectively.
Long, Long Time was critically acclaimed and is regarded as one of the best television episodes of all time. It told the story of Bill, a survivor of the outbreak living an isolated existence in his home fortress who comes in contact with Frank, a fellow survivor.
As time passes, the pair eventually fall in love before Frank succumbs to a degenerative disease, leaving him on the cusp of dying. Bill, not wanting to live without his love, poisons himself as the two die peacefully in their bed.
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Some so-called fans of the show weren't happy at the depiction of the gay romance, and Offerman had the following to say to the bigots when he accepted the award for Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series at the Independent Spirit Awards:
"Thank you so much, Film Independent. I'm astonished to be in this category, which is bananas. Thanks to HBO for having the guts to participate in this storytelling tradition that is truly independent. Stories with guts that when homophobic hate comes my way and says, 'Why did you have to make it a gay story?' We say, 'Because you ask questions like that. It's not a gay story, it's a love story, you a**hole.'"
The crucial decision on Long, Long time
Crucially, the bodies of the men were not shown in the episode, and there was a reason why, as explained by director Peter Hoar.
“That was always on the page, never to show the dead bodies. It’s also something we discussed as a group at the very beginning. It’s not gratuitous," he told Deadline.
"I think what EP Neil Druckmann would’ve would probably say is that the world of The Last of Us is a very brutal one. And in a brutal world, people are gonna get hurt and people are gonna experience horrendous trauma to their bodies and their minds. I think Craig thought we just didn’t need it. It wasn’t necessary."
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