Actor Nick Offerman has revealed new background details on his The Last of Us Season 1 episode, including how he nearly didn't agree to do it, and what ultimately convinced him to sign on.
Offerman played Bill in the episode "Long, Long Time," which traced the romantic relationship between Bill and Frank (Murray Bartlett), including the ups and downs and the tragedy at the end. The episode was critically acclaimed, and even Steven Spielberg wrote to the team to say how much he loved it.
Offerman won an Emmy for his performance as Bill, and "Long, Long Time" remains one of the show's most acclaimed episodes. Offerman said on the Good Hang podcast that he knew after reading the script that the episode would be adored.
"Everyone knew, when you read that script, you were like, 'This is going to ... if we don't fuck this up, this is going to win awards,'" he said.
As for how he came to be on the show in the first place, Offerman said he knew The Last of Us writer and showrunner Craig Mazin for years, dating back to when Offerman's godson played on the same little league baseball team as Mazin's child.
Over the years, the two expressed mutual affection for each other's work, Offerman said. So when it came time to find someone to play Bill, Mazin called Offerman.
"He got a hold of me and said, 'I'm sending you something and you have to do it,'" Offerman explained.
However, Mazin and his wife Megan Mullally had just had a conversation about how Offerman was taking on too many jobs and would try to be more selective with his acting gigs. "I overload my calendar. That's my vice. That's my problem," he said.
For The Last of Us, Offerman would have to fly to Calgary and be there for a month. "I didn't have the month," Offerman said.
But Offerman was ultimately convinced to take the gig after Mullally read the script for "Long, Long Time" and said Offerman had no choice but to do it.
"She was like, 'Guess what, buddy? You're going to Calgary,'" Offerman said.
"Long, Long Time" aired in January 2023, and it was called that because it featured the Linda Ronstadt song of the same name. That led to a massive surge in streams on Spotify, but Ronstadt did not write the song and didn't get a penny for its use on the show.
Given how much fans enjoyed that episode of The Last of Us, it was little surprise to learn a prequel TV show focused on Bill and Frank was pitched to HBO. Not everyone loved the episode, though, as some people said the gay romance story "ruined" the show. Offerman had a perfect response for the haters.
Bill's backstory and his life with Frank was hinted at in the 2013 Last of Us video game. But "Long Long Time" spent nearly the entire episode on an extended flashback that showed Frank stumbling into town and meeting Bill, their budding romance, and their life together in a apocalyptic Boston suburb.
The episode spanned multiple decades, leading up to the death of both Bill and Frank after they drink a cocktail of wine and pills together and die in bed side by side. Joel (Pedro) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) eventually come to town and find a note from Bill explaining the situation and leaving a key to Bill's car for Joel and Ellie.
The Last of Us returns for its third and potentially final season in 2027, with the story focusing on Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).
