SPOILER ALERT:This interview contains details of Season 1, Episode 5 ofHBOsThe Last Of Us.
HBOs critically praised horror-dramaThe Last of Uscontinues to break our hearts and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
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DEADLINE: Lamar, I love the inclusivity of adding Keivonn to the series.
Liane Hentscher/HBO
Had you known earlier in the process that youd be working with a deaf child actor?
And how did you both work together to bring this relationship to life?
JOHNSON:I found out when I booked the role that theyd be incorporating Keivonn and ASL.
Keivonn Woodard as SamLiane Hentscher/HBO
It was easy to connect with Keivonn because hes such a great kid.
Hes so talented, and we both really connected and committed ourselves to these roles.
And we had a really great team of people behind us and we supported each other.
He is his sole care provider and protector.
Thats what it revealed to me.
And do I understand that?
They live in a very harsh world, and Sam is Henrys purpose.
Its his will to live.
And if he didnt have him, he wouldnt have the will to live.
What person or phrase do you conjure up to get through times that might be scary for you?
WOODARD:My father passed away and someone told me that its really important that I be strong.
And as a Black person, it is important.
I do my best to be brave.
Also, Miles Morales is my favorite superhero.
DEADLINE: Lets talk about this incredibly intense action sequence ripped straight from the game.
Its filled with gunfire and crawling with tons of infected.
What was filming that experience like?
JOHNSON:It was pretty intense; everything was [practical].
The entire cul-de-sac was built; all the houses when the infected came out of the ground were real.
It was all stunt men and stunt women with this crazy makeup on and everything like that.
I think there are probably… And it was great to be there with Pedro [Pascal] and Bella [Ramsey].
It was a fun time, intense too, but fun.
It was really good working with them and with Lamar, Pedro and Bella.
I had a lot of fun, especially with the clickers.
It all went really well.
Can you both talk about how you tapped into the emotions of this scene?
How did you interpret the ending?
So, I guess going into it, I kind of knew what we were doing that day.
I think I just tried to be as present and authentic as possible because everything was given to me.
So, I tried not to overthink it.
So, all I had to do was just be present and react to everything in my environment.
WOODARD: I felt very sad with the last part.
And when I was reading about it, I knew what would happen, but I got through it.
The Last of Usairs every Sunday on HBO.
