<P> Druckmann felt that players, specifically parents, would be able to relate to Joel's character and his bonding with Ellie . Baker believes that Joel discovers morality throughout the game's narrative, working out the difference between loss and sacrifice, and his true personality begins to show . Druckmann became intrigued by players who discussed Joel's morality, distinguishing him as a hero or villain; Druckmann felt that Joel was only "a complex person who's made good and bad decisions", but allowed it to be open to interpretation . When auditioning for the role, Baker read a phrase on the character sheet that stated Joel had "few moral lines left to cross", which became the "anchor point" to the character for him . Baker found great difficulty in filming the game's prologue, which features scenes with Joel and his daughter Sarah, portrayed by Hana Hayes . Upon later viewing of the first day of footage from the scene, Druckmann felt that it could still be improved . When filming the scene again, Druckmann explained to Baker how to perform it, and felt that it was the best take upon doing so . Though Baker initially found the take too "mechanical", he retroactively realized that he had been previously trying to impress audiences by his acting, and that it was "not what the scene needed". </P> <P> Ellie (Ashley Johnson) is a fourteen - year - old orphan and the other main playable character in the game, and one of the few characters to have never known life before the infection . Much of her backstory is revealed in the additional content The Last of Us: Left Behind and the comic book miniseries The Last of Us: American Dreams . </P> <P> After surviving a bite from the Infected, Ellie is tasked to Joel to be escorted to the Fireflies . Initially annoyed by Joel's surliness, Ellie starts to feel a strong attachment to him . After experiencing a traumatizing encounter in the Winter, in which Ellie is nearly raped and murdered by a band of cannibals, she becomes withdrawn and introverted . When Joel finally gets her to the Fireflies, it is discovered that she has a mutant strain of the Cordyceps fungus growing on her brain, which may be used to create a vaccine; in order to extract the fungi, an operation on Ellie's brain is required, that will likely kill her . While she is being prepared for surgery, Joel makes his way to the operating room and carries her to safety . When Ellie awakens from unconsciousness, Joel lies by telling her that the Fireflies found many other subjects, and had stopped looking for a cure . Ellie later confronts him about it, demanding to know the truth . When he reassures her that he is telling the truth, she replies with "Okay". </P> <P> The team felt that the establishing the physical appearance of Ellie was "critical"; they felt that she need to appear young enough for to make her relationship with Joel believable, but old enough to be credible as a resourceful teenager capable of surviving . When questioned about the inspiration for Ellie as a gameplay feature, Druckmann recalled when he and Straley were brainstorming ideas for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and created a mute character who would summon the player to follow them, creating a "beautiful" relationship through gameplay alone . Though this concept was never included in the final game, the idea was raised when the team were discussing a new project, ultimately inspiring Ellie . Following the release of Left Behind, in which Ellie is seen kissing her friend Riley, Druckmann has confirmed that she is gay . </P>

Who are the last of us characters modeled after