Gabriel Luna on Sniping 'Infected' in ‘The Last of Us’

The actor—who plays sharpshooting survivalist Tommy Miller in HBO’s hit series—sounds off on gaming and weapons training.

Actor Gabriel Luna is familiar playing dangerous individuals—with past roles calling on him to become a cursed motorcycle vigilante, a covert CIA operative, and a robotic assassin sent from the future. So when it came time to cast the mysterious ex-military sniper Tommy Miller in HBO’s hit series The Last Of Us, based on the popular video game franchise, the creators had his name top of mind. Little did they know the actor had already immersed himself in the character years before during a spontaneous gaming session.

When the show moved forward, Luna was all set to spawn in again—for real. Men’s Journal spoke with Luna about his first impressions of the game, building the character, and honing the skills to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.

Men's Journal: How did you first hear about The Last of Us?

Gabriel Luna: Before there was a series, I played the game at a friend’s house—and even though the session was short, the game itself really stuck with me. I heard there was a series happening down the road, and because I was already interested, I made it an excuse to start playing from the very beginning. I had every intent on going in just to study and focus on the character of Tommy, but 10 minutes in I found myself being taken away by the game entirely. I lost all sense of duty, and it just became about getting through the storyline with all the characters.

Related: How Stephen Lang Became One Formidable Foe in the 'Avatar' Franchise

In the game, there are these really beautiful, exciting stories being told. I felt like I was existing in a movie while I was playing it, which gave me a lot of hope for making a show around it. I really enjoyed the brothers in the game. I loved that they were from Austin—where I was born and a place I’m very familiar with. I tried to bring as much authenticity as I could to him. There’s so much about Tommy that’s in line with my own experience.

What excited you most about portraying Tommy?

I was excited about getting to portray his abilities, and the fact he was a soldier with a lot of skill in that area. He’s certainly good at violence, which is something that’s required of him in this new and dangerous world. I was fortunate to have gathered a lot of skills that fit the bill across my career. I did a lot of precision driving while playing Ghost Rider, and plenty of combat since Matador even recently with the Terminator franchise.

Luckily, there's been a lot of weapons training. I did some work with Jack Nevils, our military consultant on Terminator: Dark Fate, who trains Army snipers down in Texas. I felt that getting comfortable with a sniper rifle in my hands was huge to play someone with Tommy’s skill. I spent a lot of time putting some lead down range with the Remington 700.

Pedro Pascal plays your brother, Joel. Did you two have an immediate bond?

Developing the connective tissue between me and Pedro was incredibly important to the story, since there's a drive for Joel to find his brother. That meant spending as much time together as possible, which was also helpful in getting the accent and voices just right. Pedro wanted to get his accent closer to mine, since I was from the area and could help him find it. We wanted to make sure it sounded like we came from the same part of Texas. We have a bunch of mutual friends, so there was already some connection there.

Related: How Chris Hemsworth Got Even More Jacked for ‘Extraction 2’

One of your passions is boxing. Did you turn to that at all in preparing to play Tommy?

I’m always boxing, and it was a great fit for this project. Shout out to Wild Card Boxing and the legend Freddie Roach, who’s one of the shining gems of the boxing world. Wild Card Boxing is a temple. I’m probably one of the first ones there when they open at 8 in the morning. The dogs are running around the gym. I start off with a bit of running and shadow boxing, then it’s time for Freddie to throw the mitts on.

A lot of people have heard that Freddie has Parkinson’s disease, and some days are better than others. But no matter what condition he’s in, when he has those mitts on in the ring, there’s a muscle memory that's very much intact. His footwork is still impeccable and beautiful to watch. For anyone who's doubting him, or thinks he isn’t still on it, he’ll make you pay—especially if you’re the one he’s holding the pads for. I’ve seen him pop a few guys in the face when they weren’t paying attention or got too complacent.

I’ve really enjoyed working with him and trying to improve every day. Having an icon like Freddie Roach tell you that you have great power is a huge boost to the confidence in the ring. That’ll put a lot of pride in your heart. It’ll light a fire in you.

Is there a go-to punch or combo you throw at one of The Infected” in the world of The Last of Us?

In a perfect world, there wouldn’t be a need for any punch—and I’d be able to catch him down range with a rifle bullet from at least 50 yards out. If he does get close, I have a blade for him. I was constantly making shivs through production, because just as much as the rifle, it’s Tommy’s style not to be afraid in close encounters. So it’d be a tough situation for them regardless of how they came at me.

How has your relationship with fitness evolved over the years? Did you adapt your training at all to play Tommy?

I played football, basketball, and ran track back in high school, so I went into adulthood with a solid foundation for training. I kept that going throughout my acting career, but it was during Terminator that I made physical fitness a major part of my life. I’ve been lucky enough to work on multiple projects with Arnold Schwarzenegger. He says, “Training is like brushing your teeth”—meaning it has to be something you do every single day.

For Terminator, the training I was doing with Magnus Lygdback and Josephine Holmberg involved strength but also flexibility. There were a lot of resistance bands and cables being used at every opportunity. Once it was time to film, I was working with Adam Szedlacsko, who’s the owner of Flex Gym in Budapest. That place is special, and it was a truly incredible experience to finish the work there. That’s where Arnold and I trained when he arrived on set.

Related: Arnold Schwarzenegger Says He'd Reprise His Role as Conan the Barbarian

Did you see a physical transformation when you started working with Schwarzenegger?

I started growing like a weed when I was working with him. The way these bodybuilders train is different than what the rest of us are doing. I learned a lot during that experience—including 13 or 14 different exercises for every muscle group. You learn how important it is to confuse the body. Each day I’m looking to develop a new and different formula for my workouts, which has brought me a whole new level of body awareness.

Are you looking forward to reuniting with Schwarzenegger in your next project, FUBAR?

It’s my honor to continue to play only bad guys for the great Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Last of Us is now streaming on HBO Max.

-----------------------------

By: Charles Thorp
Title: Gabriel Luna on Sniping 'Infected' in ‘The Last of Us’
Sourced From: www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/gabriel-luna-the-last-of-us
Published Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2023 18:49:43 GMT

Read More