Nick Offerman hasn’t played any video games in 25 years, not even the one that inspired his hit TV show.
HBO’s hit series The Last of Us is directly inspired by the video game of the same name, and in the adaptation are many characters who were included in the original version. That includes Nick Offerman, who shined brightly with his guest-starring role as Bill in the third episode of the show. The episode, called “Long, Long Time,” focuses primarily on the journey of longtime survivors and lovers Bill and Frank (Murray Bartlett). But while series star Pedro Pascal went back and played through the game after his casting, Offerman opted not to do so, refusing to break a vow he took 25 years ago that he was finished with video games.
This was information that Offerman revealed while speaking about the show in a Jimmy Kimmel Live! interview. Offerman explains in the interview that he recalls losing too many hours of his life due to an obsession with the Nintendo 64 game Banjo-Kazooie. He came out of that experience feeling like his time would be better spent doing other things, and he’s now gone two and a half decades without so much as picking up a controller. He won’t break that vow, not even for The Last of Us, as the actor says.
“25 years ago I played my last video game, and I’m very indulgent. I lost a couple of weeks to a video game called Banjo-Kazooie. Two weeks went by, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, the slow dopamine drip is so delicious.’ Then, it’s over, and you’re like, ‘Yes, I won.’ And immediately, I’m like, ‘What have I done with my life?’ So I decided that I’m never going to do that again, and thankfully, because games have gotten so good, like The Last of Us, that I think I’d be in a basement and I wouldn’t even be going to audition for shows like this.”
The Last of Us Almost Passed by Nick Offerman
Not being familiar with the video game and its acclaim nearly cost Nick Offerman the role of Bill. In the Kimmel interview, Offerman also reveals that he came close to turning down The Last of Us when the offer came in. At the time, the actor has a pretty packed schedule, figuring that it wasn’t a good time to take on something like The Last of Us. However, with the encouragement of his wife Megan Mullally, Offerman accepted the part, doing what it took to make it happen.
“I didn’t have time on the calendar to say ‘yes’ to this job, and my incredible goddess of a wife read [the script] — and she said ‘You’re going to Calgary, buddy. Have fun! You have to do this.'”
The first three episodes of The Last of Us can be found streaming on HBO Max.
