'The Last of Us' and its Austin scenes, explained
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
It’s not uncommon to see Austin pop up onscreen. But while the capital of Texas has welcomed cameras for everything from “Walker” to “Queer Eye,” HBO’s newest hit drama used a little television magic to recreate the city.
The series premiere of “The Last of Us,” based on the video game of the same name, aired on Jan. 15. The show stars Pedro Pascal as Joel, a traumatized man surviving a fungi-induced zombie apocalypse. Austin native Gabriel Luna plays his brother, Tommy, and “Game of Thrones” standout Bella Ramsey plays Ellie, a young girl who might hold the last hope for society.
Before shifting the plot to a post-apocalyptic Boston, the show’s initial scenes are set in Austin.
More:10 Austin connections in 2023 Oscar nominations, like 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'
Was 'The Last of Us' filmed in Austin?
If you watched at home and thought, “Hey, I don’t recognize that part of town,” you’re not alone — you might just have never been to Canada.
“The Last of Us” filmed its first season in the Canadian province of Alberta, with CTV News calling it the largest Canadian TV production ever. Filming took place in Calgary and other cities; Fort Macleod stood in for Austin during a climactic car escape scene, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Even though Austin is a popular filming location, this isn’t the first time another city has stood in for it. Fox’s “9-1-1: Lone Star,” which follows emergency responders in Austin, has mostly been filmed in Los Angeles.
From the archives:Austin-born ’Terminator’ Gabriel Luna is having a moment
Does 'The Last of Us' version of Austin look accurate?
Eh, not really, but you can tell the showrunners put in some effort to make their version of Austin ring a little true.
Spoilers below.
Early scenes of “The Last of Us” (after a prologue set farther in the past) show Joel’s life with daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) in September 2003, before the zombie pandemic. The screen tells the audience it’s supposed to be Austin, though the downtown architecture tells us it’s not really. The suburban neighborhood where Joel and Sarah live is pretty nondescript; if you didn’t know it was Canada, you could believe it’s Texas.
Some helpful visual clues to set the scene: a portrait of then-President George W. Bush in Sarah’s classroom; an accurate (for the time) CapMetro city bus painted green, blue and white; and Austin Police Department cars. We spied a red newspaper box that looked awfully similar to a classic Austin American-Statesman box.
More:For tacos, is it Austin or San Antonio? Pedro Pascal chose a side at SXSW.
A television newscaster also mentions Austin Police Department, and in probably the most accurate specific detail, Joel takes a call from Tommy, who's at the Travis County Jail on 10th Street, which is the correct street in real life.
The show’s geography is more imaginary otherwise. In the first episode’s daring escape sequence, Joel’s family comes to an intersection with signs that indicate Austin to the west and San Marcos to the east. That is very much not the case. The home of Texas State University is slightly to the west of Austin.
The same scene shows road signs for an Interstate 183 (it’s actually U.S. 183 that runs through Austin) and what appears to be FM 58 or RM 58 (it was hard to tell when we watched, but either way, FM 58 starts in the East Texas town of Lufkin). A character mentions taking “71,” and if they’re talking about Texas 71, sure, you could do that in Austin.
The chief tell that this show wasn’t filmed in Austin? This version of downtown Austin still has plenty of small, older buildings.
More:Jonathan Majors among this year's Texas Film Award honorees; here's how to go
Will there be more Austin scenes in 'The Last of Us'?
We’re not the showrunners, so anything is possible. If the TV adaptation follows the video game source material, though, most of the plot action will take place in other cities. That said, a TV show loves a flashback.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Was 'The Last of Us' filmed in Austin? Pedro Pascal HBO show explained
