Warning: spoilers ahead for The Last of Us episode 3.
Several The Last of Us fans have argued that Nick Offerman should be seen as a “exception to the rule” in the ongoing discussion of whether or not heterosexual actors should be allowed to depict homosexual characters on film.
The Parks and Recreation star appears as Bill, a jaded survivalist who takes pleasure in being left on his own at the outbreak’s outset, in episode 3 of the HBO and Sky TV drama based on the video game series of the same name.
A guy named Frank (Murray Bartlett) is trying to make it in the wilderness after the pandemic has ended, and he and our protagonist meet a few years later; they fall in love, and the two of them go on to have a long and happy life together.
For example, in January 2021, when discussing casting for his Channel 4 drama It’s a Sin, It’s a Sin creator Russell T. Davies said, “I’m not being woke about this…” but I have a strong conviction that if I cast someone in a narrative, I am casting them to behave as a lover, an adversary, someone on drugs, a criminal, or a saint… Since “acting homosexual” is just a series of codes for a performance, they are not there to put on an act. The focus is on genuine flavour in the year 2020.
The Big Bang Theory’s Colin Firth, who will play a gay man opposite Stanley Tucci in the upcoming film Supernova, has said, “I don’t have a final position on this,” while Jim Parsons, who came out as gay in 2012, has said, “There’s definitely this spectrum: I think the fight, as it were, is not about having only gay people play the gay parts but to ensure that all parts are open to all actors.” The issue, in my opinion, is still open. I’ve given this a lot of consideration, as it is an issue near and dear to my heart.
Many fans of The Last of Us’ third episode said they were moved to tears by Bill and Frank’s touching romance, and many have called for the two actors to be honoured for their outstanding performances.
While Murray, of The White Lotus, is gay, Nick has been married to Megan Mullaly, of Will & Grace, since 2003.
‘Nick Offerman is the only straight man I’m okay with being cast as a gay character. He is the exception to the rule,’ one person tweeted after watching the latest instalment of the post-apocalyptic series.
‘Congratulations to Nick Offerman for officially joining Stanley Tucci as the co-president of the “Cis Straight Dudes With A Lifetime Pass to Play Gay Characters” club after this episode bc wow I’m still crying,’ another wrote.
One viewer commented, “although it would have been lovely for both Frank While Bill to be played by a homosexual actor… Offerman was PERFECT,” and TV critic Nick Lehmann said, Nick “changed his mind regarding straight actors portraying gay characters.”
The third episode of The Last of Us, according to one fan, “was yet another example” of the media cliche “Bury Your Gays,” which refers to the deaths of LGBT+ characters in fiction who may be represented as disposable to the storyline.
However, they also added: ‘It was beautifully done, and deserves any and all the awards.’
Someone else added, “Also let me be VERY clear: If/when Nick Offerman gets an award for this I will not be whining about a straight actor receiving an award for portraying homosexual,” because Offerman and co-star Craig Mazin discussed how important it was to portray the character honestly and respectfully.
Nick, when discussing his involvement in The Last of Us, said that he has seldom seen couples like Bill and Frank’represented’ in popular culture.
‘It really goes a long way toward espousing the permission to all of us that if there’s another human being you should be allowed to love one another, regardless of how you fit in conventional couple templates,’ he said.
He added that in the ‘small conservative town’ where he grew up in the Midwest of America, ‘they wouldn’t allow the story to be told if they could vote’.
‘And the Bills and Franks are like, “But we live in this town, county, state, country, world.” I’m just very grateful that we’re not just part of the same old storytelling, but trying to tread new ground,’ he stated.
The Last of Us is available to watch on Sky and NOW, with new episodes released on Mondays.