Rutina Wesley wanted to play Maria in The Last of Us her way: 'I was up for the challenge'
Warning: This article contains spoilers from The Last of Us season 1, episode 6.
Rutina Wesley was admittedly terrified to take on the role of Maria in The Last of Us. She previously played Tara Thornton on True Blood and popped in and out of shows like Hannibal, Arrow, and The Walking Dead while finding her footing on Queen Sugar. But the thought of playing a pre-established character from something so beloved as the original video game was daunting.
"It's terrifying playing a character that's been established, even though it's a game," the actress tells EW. "But I also was up for the challenge of playing her in my way and putting my energy on it to see what people would think of that."
Wesley's Maria arrives on The Last of Us with episode 6. She's the leader of a settlement in Jackson, Wyo., where Joel (Pedro Pascal) finds his long-sought brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna). Not only that, Tommy and Maria are married and expecting their first child. The topic of fatherhood doesn't sit well with Joel, who's still thrown into fits of panic at the thought of his own daughter's death.
Liane Hentscher/HBO Rutina Wesley as Maria in 'The Last of Us'
There are some notable differences to Maria and her settlement from the video games. She loves Tommy but immediately distrusts his brother, having knowledge of Joel's dark past in the Boston QZ. We learn she served as an assistant district attorney in Omaha, Neb. prior to the outbreak, and was elected democratically by the people of this colony to serve in a leadership role.
There's also a big cosmetic change: Maria and Tommy's group in 2013's The Last of Us operated out of a hydropower plant, hence the Easter egg of Joel and Ellie passing by a similar location on the show. HBO's The Last of Us, however, sees the group within a gated community that is similar to the commune's home base in the second video game, 2020's The Last of Us Part II.
"Sometimes you can do an adaptation of something and it's a copy of a copy. Sometimes it's not so great," Wesley says. "But I felt here with The Last of Us, they really have had a chance to fly with these storylines, even if they altered them a bit, because it's human people."
Wesley was smitten with the character of Maria when approached for the role, which now marks her third foray with HBO following True Blood and DMZ. "I loved Maria, particularly because she's a born leader," the actress explains. "She's fierce and she has this calm stillness to her that I love. She's the type of woman that I described like, if she smiles, you probably only see it with her eyes. She's not gonna give you full-blown Rutina red carpet teeth.
"It's great to see a woman of that kind of stature who is very good with a gun. She can ride a horse. She knows her way around this place and yet she's taking this child and cutting their hair and getting to know them," Wesley adds. "I love the juxtaposition of that because sometimes you think people in that position as a leader are not capable of the other, and she's very capable."
Liane Hentscher/HBO Rutina Wesley's Maria investigates the arrival of Joel and Ellie on 'The Last of Us'
Maria's pregnancy was another big touchstone for Wesley. She takes Ellie (Bella Ramsey) aside to get situated with a room, shower, clothes, and even a DivaCup, while Joel has a chat with Tommy about potentially passing off Ellie to him. Maria cuts Ellie's hair, but warns her to be wary of Joel. "Be careful who you put your faith in," she says. "The only people who can betray us are the ones we trust."
"When you are going to be a mother at some point, I think she naturally gravitates towards Ellie in that motherly way without her really even knowing she's doing it," Wesley remarks. "It's her instinct because she can't help that fact. Also I think that Maria is challenged by Ellie in a way that she secretly loves. I think there's a part of Maria that's looking at Ellie like, 'Who is this little girl?'"
At the same time, Maria's distrust of Joel isn't a reflection of her feelings about Tommy. "She trusts Tommy enough to not ask any questions, to just let him do whatever it is that he's doing," Wesley says. "That's how much she loves that man and that's how much she trusts him, but she does look at Joel with a little bit of side-eye because she knows a lot of things about him."
While Maria's portion of the story is confined to episode 6, Wesley knows the character plays a part in The Last of Us Part II. And with the series adaptation already confirmed for season 2, she's hoping to be invited back to explore the part more.
"Hell yes, I'm excited," she says. "I'm looking forward to something if they decide to come my way. I'm totally excited about that, because I did have fun playing with Gabe. He's really great." (Wesley often calls Luna "my Gabe.") "It would just be like icing on the cake," Wesley adds of the potential to be invited back. "This is enough where it is 'cause it is a huge hit. So if it didn't happen, I'd be great with it because this show is really good."
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