As if the blood-fueled infected rampage in The Last of Us wasn’t enough, co-creator Craig Mazin added a child Clicker for our nightmares. Talking about the 5th episode of the HBO series which was released early, the child Clicker can be considered one of the great jumpscares in the series so far.
While wearing a ‘Blue’s Clues’ t-shirt, Craig Mazin talked in detail about the process of hiring a contortionist to fit the role. The hidden details that featured the contrast between innocence and horror were also pointed out by the Chernobyl creator in the official companion podcast.
Craig Mazin Brought A Child Clicker in The Last of Us!
*Spoilers for Episode 5 of The Last of Us*
With the episode airing a little earlier than usual, fans were treated to the delight of watching a Bloater ripping a man’s head off in the episode. Fans of the games know how tough those guys can be, not to mention the Clickers!
Co-creator Craig Mazin went above and beyond the boundaries of the game to bring to the people a child Clicker that mauls a lady to death after scaring Ellie (and us). In the official companion podcast of the series, Craig Mazin talked about the auditions for a contortionist that they had set up along with prosthetics to bring the child Clicker to life (metaphorically). The co-creator also talked about the Clicker wearing a ‘Blue’s Clues’ t-shirt that highlighted the contrast between pure childish innocence and the horror of the world that they lived in.
“She’s this beautiful little girl, but […] it’s so creepy how she can move her body like that. And so, it was a combination of her performance, and then Wētā kind of creating, taking, drafting off of what Barrie Gower had created with prosthetics, and then making this little girl. And I insisted that our child clicker wear a ‘Blue’s Clues’ shirt because I’m really sick, and I just loved the contrast of innocence and horror.”
The contortionist, Skye Cowton was only 9 years of age during the shooting of the scene and was praised for her nightmarish abilities. Suffice to say, Episode 5 (titled Endure and Survive) of The Last of Us series is currently the highest-rated episode on IMDB. The inclusion of the child Clicker was not the only thing that Craig Mazin did in The Last of Us.
Craig Mazin Addresses Sam’s Deafness In The Series
The co-creator has been known to observe details minutely and for forcing the audience to read between the lines. Fans of the game know about the brotherly duo of Henry and Sam, who they encounter on their way. They also know of the tragic ending that both the brothers are forced to face in the game, as was seen in the 5th episode of the show.
Talking about why Craig Mazin chose Sam to be deaf in the series, the co-creator explained that the dynamic seemed too familiar to that of Joel and Ellie.
“I became nervous that there was a mode of communication between Joel and Ellie that I didn’t want to feel like I was repeating between Henry and Sam. While this wasn’t really an issue in Bill and Frank’s expanded storyline, because the relationship between that pair of characters was so different, the guardian/child dynamic between Henry and Sam risked becoming a simple repeat of Joel and Ellie”
Going strongly over a couple of weeks, The Last of Us has been hailed as one of the finest game-to-series adaptations that the world has ever seen. With Episode 6 slated for a release date of 19th February, The Last of Us is available to stream on HBO Max.
Source: The Last of Us Podcast
