HBO's The Last of Us delivered an incredibly accurate adaptation of Naughty Dog's hit video game. However, it made one big change by devoting an entire episode to Bill's backstory; rather than making him a crotchety old man who helps Joel and Ellie, we see how he survived the apocalypse and fell in love with a man named Frank.
Letters players can discover while playing The Last of Us confirmed Bill was gay, but the TV show properly explored his relationship with Frank to deliver one of the most heartbreaking hours of television in recent memory.
Nick Offerman played Bill, with Murray Bartlett taking on the role of Frank; the former has already won a Primetime Emmy Award for his guest role and added a Spirit Award to his list of accolades over the weekend.
While accepting his prize, Offerman made his feelings clear about those who have been critical of The Last of Us featuring a romance between two men.
"I'm astonished to be in this category, which is bananas," he started. "Thanks to HBO for having the guts to participate in this storytelling tradition, that is truly independent stories with guts, that when homophobic hate comes my way, and says, 'Why did you have to make it a gay story?' We say, 'Because you ask questions like that. It's not a gay story, it's a love story, you assh*le.'"
"So, more of that. Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin wrote this thing. Peter Hoar directed it. Murray Bartlett planted the strawberries, and that is not a euphemism," Offerman continued. "Thank you to my mom and dad, and my agents at UTA, but most importantly, my bride, my puzzle coach, and legal property, Megan Mullally."
There will inevitably be those who take issue with Offerman's scathing remarks but the backlash to the episode when it aired was undeniably puzzling. It did little to affect the show, though, as it was a ratings hit and has since earned plenty of awards.
Work is underway on The Last of Us season 2 and is expected to premiere on HBO next year. In recent weeks, the show has cast Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, and Young Mazino as Jesse. Pedro Pascal will reprise his role as Joel, with Bella Ramsey joining him as Ellie.
You can check out Offerman's comments in full below.