Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Last of Us episode five, ‘Endure and Survive’.
Many fans of The Last of Us game who are also watching the series were delighted to see Jeffrey Pierce appear in the television adaptation of Naughty Dog’s zombie hit. Although his character only had a two-episode arc, the voice actor for Tommy Miller in the gaming franchise has long been a fan favorite thanks to his very public championing of the games and his commitment to the role. His turn as Kathleen’s brutal footsoldier Perry has brought him a lot of new admirers on social media too, with plenty of watchers praising his acting skills. But after his breakout performance in The Last of Us, what’s next for Jeffrey Pierce?
Who is Jeffrey Pierce?
Jeffrey Pierce is an actor whose career began with the Royal Shakespeare Company. His first television credit came in 1997, followed by a near-decade of consistent bit-part work across various television series, although no starring roles. During this time he managed to get cast in huge shows like NCIS and The West Wing, but in 2008 he was given the role of Jason Bourne in The Bourne Conspiracy, kickstarting his career as a voice actor for video games.
What was Jeffrey Pierce famous for before The Last of Us television series?
While Pierce continued to land television roles, including an episode on NCSI: Los Angeles, his star was rising rapidly in the gaming world. He landed huge parts in massive franchises like Medal of Honor and Call of Duty, but his big break came in 2013 when he was cast as Joel Miller‘s brother Tommy in the original The Last of Us game. After a standout performance that gripped gamers, he was brought back for the 2020 followup, The Last of Us 2, and continued to be an active supporter of the games. Many saw him as a favorite as he often repeated opinions that hardcore fans shared, like his belief that The Last of Us would have made a bad film.
In an interview with Games Radar, Pierce confirmed that he was desperate to be involved in the television adaptation of the classic Naughty Dog game, stating “I told [co-showrunner Neil Druckmann] early on, I was like, look, I’ll come and carry a spear and stand in the corner if there’s anything that I can do to help support telling the story of the game โ you know, count me in.”
Who did Jeffrey Pierce play in The Last of Us?
Pierce appeared in episodes four and five of the television series in the role of Perry, an enforcer for the head of the Kansas City resistance group, Kathleen. Although neither character appears in the game, their plot journey and interesting relationship left the vast majority of viewers impressed with how the show has managed to weave in new characters who are realistic to the world, while staying true to the original source material.
Sadly but predictably for anybody who knows anything about The Last of Us, both Kathleen and Pierce’s character Perry meet incredibly violent ends, with Perry falling prey to a bloater, the fourth, most deadly, and rarest form of the infected in the show’s universe. With that said, despite the gore (Perry has his head ripped off) it was an honorable ending for the foot soldier, who died in a (failed) attempt to give his leader more time to escape.
Why didn’t Jeffrey Pierce play Tommy in the TV adaptation?
By Pierce’s own admission, he was too old to reprise the role of Tommy in the television adaptation of The Last of Us, telling Vulture: “My window to play Tommy closed in live-action probably about a decade ago, so I knew that wasnโt going to happen.” With that said, Pierce has been nothing but glowing about Gabriel Luna, who took on the role in the series. He’s even said Luna has done “…an amazing job of paying tribute to the character that we created for the games.”
What’s next for Jeffrey Pierce?
Despite his long involvement in the franchise, the only thing we can be sure of is that Pierce won’t be in The Last of Us for the foreseeable future thanks to Perry’s death. However, that hasn’t stopped some fans from hoping we’ll see him again in the HBO series.
Pierce has remained tight-lipped about any future projects in the works, with most of his interviews focusing on his portrayal of Perry and his work on the television adaptation of the game he was such a huge and important part of. We Got This Covered has reached out to Pierce’s team for comment, so if you’re keen to find out what he’s up to next, watch this space.