When Naughty Dog first started casting for their post-apocalyptic epic, they weren't just looking for a voice. They needed a soul. If you’ve spent any time hiding from Clickers or crying over a shared pun in a dusty book, you know exactly who voiced Ellie in The Last of Us. It was Ashley Johnson.
She didn't just stand in a booth and read lines. Honestly, calling it "voice acting" feels like a massive undersell of what actually happened during the years of production. Johnson provided the full performance capture—meaning her movements, her facial tics, and that specific, shaky vulnerability in her voice were all translated into the digital character we see on screen. It’s the reason Ellie feels so incredibly human.
Most people recognize Ashley from her days as a child star on Growing Pains, or perhaps from her massive role in the Dungeons & Dragons phenomenon Critical Role. But for millions of gamers, she is, and will always be, Ellie Williams. The chemistry she shared with Troy Baker (who played Joel) wasn't just luck. It was the result of a grueling, collaborative process that redefined how stories are told in the medium.
The Audition That Changed Everything
When the casting process began, the team at Naughty Dog had a specific vision for Ellie. She was supposed to be a foil to Joel’s hardened, cynical world-view. But Ashley Johnson brought something they didn't quite expect: a certain brand of "bite."
During her initial auditions, she didn't play Ellie as a victim. She played her as a survivor who was already tired of everyone’s crap. Neil Druckmann, the game’s creative director, has often mentioned in interviews—including the Ground II: Making The Last of Us Part II documentary—that Ashley’s influence actually changed the way the character was written. Originally, Ellie was meant to be more passive. Ashley made her a fighter.
It's kinda wild to think about, right? A performer's personality bleeding into the code of a game so deeply that the script has to be rewritten to keep up with them. That’s the power of what Johnson did. She took a bunch of pixels and gave them a heartbeat.
More Than Just a Voice: Performance Capture Explained
There’s a common misconception that "who voiced Ellie in The Last of Us" is just about the audio. It isn't. In the world of AAA gaming, we use "performance capture."
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Imagine Ashley Johnson wearing a tight spandex suit covered in tiny reflective balls. She’s in a giant, empty warehouse called a "volume." There are cameras everywhere. She’s interacting with PVC pipes that are supposed to be rusted railings and wooden crates that represent military trucks.
Every time Ellie winces, that’s Ashley. Every time her voice cracks because she’s scared but trying to hide it, that’s a raw, live recording from the set. This wasn't recorded in a sterile studio months after the animation was done. The actors performed the scenes together, face-to-face. That’s why the timing feels so natural. When Joel interrupts Ellie, it’s because Troy actually interrupted Ashley.
The Controversy and the HBO Series
When HBO announced they were making a live-action series, the internet did what the internet does. It exploded. People were obsessed with finding out if Ashley Johnson would play Ellie in the show.
She didn't, obviously. She was too old for the part of a fourteen-year-old girl by that point. Bella Ramsey took over the mantle, and while there was some initial pushback from "fans" who couldn't see past the physical differences, Ramsey’s performance was a knockout.
But Naughty Dog and HBO did something pretty cool for the fans. They didn't just cast Ashley in a random background role. In the season one finale, Ashley Johnson plays Anna—Ellie’s mother. It’s a poetic, full-circle moment. The woman who literally gave life to Ellie in the games is the one who gives birth to her in the show. If you didn't get goosebumps during that scene, you might want to check your pulse.
Interestingly, Troy Baker showed up too, playing James, one of David’s henchmen. Seeing the original duo integrated into the new medium was a massive nod of respect to the work they did back in 2013.
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The Evolution in Part II
By the time The Last of Us Part II rolled around in 2020, the stakes were higher. Ellie was no longer a sidekick. She was the protagonist. She was older, angrier, and deeply traumatized.
Ashley Johnson had to take the character she’d built and break her down. The performance in the sequel is significantly darker. You can hear the physical toll in her voice. There’s a raspiness and a weight to her lines that wasn't there in the first game.
She also had to learn to play the guitar for real. The game features several scenes where you can actually play the instrument using the touchpad, and the fingerings Ellie uses are based on Ashley’s actual hand movements. It’s that level of obsessive detail that makes people still talk about this game years later.
Why Ashley Johnson’s Performance Matters
We often talk about "great acting" in movies, but gaming is a different beast. You’re living with these characters for 20, 30, or even 60 hours. If the performance is off by even a fraction, the immersion breaks.
Ashley Johnson’s work as Ellie proved that digital characters can carry as much emotional weight as any live-action performance. She won two BAFTA Games Awards for Performer—one for the original game and one for the Left Behind DLC. She was also nominated for the sequel.
She set the bar. Now, every time a new narrative-driven game comes out, critics and players compare it to the standard set by the cast of The Last of Us.
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The Technical Side of the Sound
Behind the scenes, the sound team at Naughty Dog, including folks like Phil Kovats, worked tirelessly to make sure Ashley’s voice sat perfectly in the mix. They used high-end Sennheiser and Schoeps microphones to capture the nuances of her whispers.
In a game where silence is often your best friend, the tiny sounds matter. The labored breathing after a sprint. The quiet "okay" that ends the first game. Those weren't just sound effects pulled from a library. They were curated from hours of Ashley's recordings to ensure the character's "presence" never felt artificial.
What to Do if You’re a Fan
If you’re just discovering the world of The Last of Us, or if you’ve played it ten times and just want more, there are a few things you should actually check out to appreciate the work behind the character.
- Watch the "Ground II" Documentary: It’s available for free on YouTube. It covers the development of the second game and shows a lot of behind-the-scenes footage of Ashley in the mocap suit. It’s eye-opening to see how much physical labor goes into these roles.
- Listen to The Official Last of Us Podcast: Hosted by Christian Spicer, this podcast features deep dives with Neil Druckmann, Ashley Johnson, and Troy Baker. They break down specific scenes and explain the emotional headspace they had to be in.
- Check out Critical Role: If you want to see Ashley’s range outside of the apocalypse, watch her play D&D. It shows her improvisational skills and a much lighter side of her personality.
- Play the Remaster/Remake: If you’ve only played the original PS3 version, the PS5 "Part I" remake uses the same voice performances but applies them to much higher-fidelity facial animations. You can see the micro-expressions in Ashley’s performance that were previously lost due to technical limitations.
The legacy of who voiced Ellie in The Last of Us isn't just a trivia fact. It’s a landmark in digital storytelling. Ashley Johnson didn't just voice a character; she lived as one, and in doing so, she changed what we expect from video games forever.
To truly appreciate the nuance of this performance, watch the cinematic scenes in The Last of Us Part I side-by-side with the original 2013 footage. Pay close attention to the eyes and the corners of the mouth during the "Everyone I have cared for has either died or left me" scene. The emotional data captured from Johnson's face in those moments is a masterclass in acting that transcends the medium of software.
Practical Next Steps for Fans:
Go into the "Extras" menu of The Last of Us Part I or Part II on your PlayStation. Enable the "Director's Commentary" during cinematics. Hearing Ashley Johnson and Neil Druckmann discuss the specific motivations behind certain lines while they play out on screen provides the best possible education on how this character was built from the ground up. Use a high-quality pair of headphones to catch the binaural details in her vocal delivery—it changes the experience entirely.