Troy Baker's Reflections on Iconic Roles and the Weight of Performance

Troy Baker has brought to life some of the most legendary characters in video game history. In addition to stepping into Harrison Ford's shoes as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, he has played Sam Drake in Uncharted, Booker DeWitt in BioShock: Infinite, Higgs in Death Stranding, and—most famously—Joel Miller in The Last of Us.

A Profound Personal Impact

During a panel at GalaxyCon New Orleans earlier this month, Baker was asked whether portraying Joel had a personal impact on him. He said it had affected him "deeply" in many ways—including a powerful sense of being "woefully unprepared" for the role.

"There’s nothing worse—and I hope no one ever feels this—but do you ever show up to something and think, ‘I am so woefully unprepared for this’? And it’s not impostor syndrome; it’s a fact," he explained. "You are literally not equipped to do the thing you’re about to do. It’s like saying, ‘Let’s go bungee jumping!’—and then standing on the platform thinking, ‘I can’t do this.’ That was The Last of Us for me. You land the role—and then it hits you: ‘Oh no, I have to deliver this.’"

Shared Responsibility and Creative Trust

Baker recounted a pivotal moment during development when he spoke with co-star Ashley Johnson—who voices Ellie—and had an almost unsettling realization. He turned to her and said: "Do you realize that if this thing sucks, it’s our fault?"

He credited Naughty Dog—not only for its previous success with the Uncharted series but also for its clear vision of the emotionally resonant story it intended to tell next. "We knew that what they were going to make was going to be good," he said, emphasizing that the studio’s narrative rigor significantly influenced his approach to acting.

"It taught me how to stop trying to convince people that I could act—and instead realize that Joel has no idea he’s in a game. He’s simply living a moment in his life. I took that lesson and applied it across every role I’ve played since."

Recent and Upcoming Projects

• Baker recently reprised his role as Higgs in Death Stranding 2, released this month.
• In July, it was announced that he will voice Jack Pepper, the protagonist of the upcoming title Mouse: P.I. for Hire.