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Ian Alexander Hopes To Reprise Their Trans Role In The Last Of Us
The nonbinary actor who voiced the character of Lev in The Last Of Us 2 and opened up about their desire to return to the role.
HBO’s The Last of Us series is a bonafide hit. This does not come as a shock to fans of the video game series who long knew that the franchise is incredibly special, rife with characters you love and heartbreaking plot twists that will haunt you for years to come. So when the news dropped that season two had already been renewed and would focus on the events in the game’s sequel, those same fans are wondering who will take on the roles from the second game — including nonbinary actor Ian Alexander, who voices a prominent character in The Last of Us II.
While walking the red carpet for the Marvel animated series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Alexander was asked about their thoughts on the upcoming second season of the HBO series.
“I was just so grateful that I was able to be a part of that franchise and I’m so excited that we got picked up for season two,” Alexander told Insider. “My fingers are crossed that I get to reprise my role as Lev.”
Insider noted that Alexander was wearing a “subtle pendant from the series.” Alexander is manifesting and we love to see it!
Without heading too far into spoiler territory, Alexander’s Lev is a trans character fleeing a brutally violent cult after the group turned on him for coming out as trans and shaving his head.
When The Last of Us II was released], the game received backlash for the inclusion of a trans character, which Alexander opened up about. “It was really heartbreaking because, in the original game, there was queer representation. There was Bill and Frank. I’m glad that they’re making the LGBTQ representation more explicit and more just... obviously queer. I’d love to see more of that.”
They shared they were just as moved as the rest of us by the episode that focused on Bill and Franks’s queer love story. “I just started crying,” Alexander revealed. “It was cathartic, though. I needed that. And I knew going into it, I was like, this is gonna hurt. I know this is gonna hurt.”
That Alexander would return to the role is not far-fetched as the live-action adaptation has included several of the actors who voiced characters in the games, including Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, and Jeffrey Pierce. Plus, Merle Dandridge reprised her role as Marlene in the show. So, Alexander once again bringing Lev to like just could be in the cards. We can’t wait to find out!
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Rachel Shatto, Editor in Chief of PRIDE.com, is an SF Bay Area-based writer, podcaster, and former editor of Curve magazine, where she honed her passion for writing about social justice and sex (and their frequent intersection). Her work has appeared on Elite Daily, Tecca, and Joystiq, and she podcasts regularly about horror on the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network. She can’t live without cats, vintage style, video games, drag queens, or the Oxford comma.
Rachel Shatto, Editor in Chief of PRIDE.com, is an SF Bay Area-based writer, podcaster, and former editor of Curve magazine, where she honed her passion for writing about social justice and sex (and their frequent intersection). Her work has appeared on Elite Daily, Tecca, and Joystiq, and she podcasts regularly about horror on the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network. She can’t live without cats, vintage style, video games, drag queens, or the Oxford comma.
