The actors playing the infected were put through a “bootcamp”.
**Warning: Spoilers for The Last of Us episode 5 ahead.**
Plenty of scenes from The Last of Us are going to stick with us for a long time but the Bloater emerging from the ground in episode 5? Truly terrifying.
In the latest instalment of the HBO show, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is caught right in the crossfire when a huge group of infected is disturbed. Countless creatures spring from the depths of the earth, with Ellie fighting for her life.
Pulling off that scene was far from easy – it involved major prosthetics and around 60 stunt performers actually emerging from a hole in the ground on set.
Jeremy Webb, director of episodes 4 and 5 of The Last of Us, told RadioTimes.com that prosthetics legend Barrie Gower “built a Bloater suit for a huge stunt guy who’s six foot tall and who we flew in from the UK”.
He continued: “So we had a real person in a Bloater suit coming out of the ground. But we also shot plates so that if we wanted to replace him later or change him with CG, we could.
“We thought, ‘He looks pretty good, but we want the option.’ So we did it both ways and actually, in the end, we did replace him because we wanted him to move differently. But having the reference of the costume in the real space is one of the reasons the CG looks so incredibly real.”
Read more:
- The Last of Us character almost survived episode 5’s brutal ending
- The Last of Us director reveals cut Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey scenes
As for the swarms of infected, Webb went on to say: “We spent a long time rehearsing with 85 stunt people. We put them through a bootcamp of how to move like a Cordyceps-infected person. We used a very clever movement coordinator… and he came up with this design of how the infected should move and interact.
“And then we were wondering how much we could do in CG and how much we could do for real. But we dug a big hole in the set and we put, like, 60 people in there. The first time, where they all kind of exploded out of the ground and leapt towards us, was just extraordinary.”
Elsewhere, Webb reflected on the fate of Henry (Lamar Johnson) and Sam (Keivonn Woodard), explaining that things could have gone very differently.
Episode 5 of The Last of Us was released early in the UK and the US, so fans have got a longer wait than usual for episode 6.
However, with the series also being renewed for season 2, there’s still plenty more action coming our way.
The Last of Us is available on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV. Episode 5 of The Last of Us will be released in the early hours of Saturday 11th February in the UK.
Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on this week.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home — subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.