Nick Offerman has called out critics of HBO’s "The Last of Us" who took issue with the episode he appeared in, which centered on a gay love story.
Taking to the stage at the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards, where he won best supporting performance in a new scripted series for his role as the survivalist Bill in the show, Offerman slammed viewers who hit him with "homophobic hate" after the episode, "Long, Long Time," first aired.
"Thank you so much. I’m astonished to be in this category, which is bananas," he said during his acceptance speech, according to Variety.
"Thanks to HBO for having the guts to participate in this storytelling tradition that is truly independent," Offerman continued. "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 [expletive]!”
Offerman starred alongside Murray Bartlett in the episode, which diverged from the main storyline of "The Last of Us" to focus on the enduring love story between two men spanning over 20 years, set against the backdrop of a world descending into chaos due to a growing zombie virus.
The episode, directed by Peter Hoar, who is gay and known for his work on the British LGBT+ miniseries, "It's a Sin," was intended to show viewers that love has no boundaries.
"Sometimes you have to sort of trick the rest of the world into watching these things before they're like, 'Oh, my God, it was two guys. I just realized,'" Hoar told Inverse. "I think then they might understand that it's all real. It's just the same love."
Hoar went on to discuss how the sexuality of Offerman's character was explored in the episode.
"Bill is complicated. I would definitely argue that Bill doesn't come across as a gay man," he said. "It's a little less binary than that. He is a man who never really discovered himself. He lived in a world of mistrust.
"He lived with his mother for a certain long number of years, she then died, and he had the house. He pulled himself away from society."
Hoar explained that the character was "never going to naturally discover who he was to fall in love with or who he found attractive until Frank came along."
Even then, Hoar continued, "It wasn't just about being a man, it was because he was Frank. It was because Frank is Frank. I felt like it was about making sure to keep reminding them all of that."
Ultimately, the dynamic between the two characters was about "heart and love and truth," Hoar added.
"They are kind and gentle to each other. Middle-aged men falling in love; you don't get that all the time, so I think that was nice. They're just such professionals. They didn't need much help and guidance other than just feeling good every day about what we were doing."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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