Murray Bartlett shares partner’s emotional response to his physical transformation in The Last Of Us
"He really internalised it"
Murray Bartlett has shared his partner’s emotional reaction to his incredible physical transformation in The Last Of Us.
The actor appears as an aged-up version of his character Frank in the latest episode of the post-apocalyptic drama, titled The Long, Long Time.
In it, Murray and co-star Nick Offerman play a gay couple over a 20-year period.
“They just did such an extraordinary job”
Speaking at a recent roundtable interview with The Independent, Murray explained: “My partner who I watched the episode with was really affected by it… He turned to me at the end and was like, ‘I don’t want you to get sick’ [laughs].
“So he really internalised it. And obviously had trouble separating with the fact that he was watching me in a TV show, which I think is a good sign.
“Not a good sign about me possibly getting sick as an old man. But the integrity of the work was powerful for him.”
He furthermore added of the make-up team: “Man, they just did such an extraordinary job.”
The star has been on a winning streak with gay roles in recent years. Among them, on hit series like Looking, The White Lotus, and Welcome To Chippendales.
Speaking to Attitude about the latter show in an interview last month, Murray said: “There’s a misconception about queer people and queer relationships. That it’s all about sex and the physical.
“I was interested in exploring those intimate scenes with Andrew Rannells’ character. In a way of, this man found joy in intimacy.”
Emmy-winner Murray also said of the aging process: “On every level, I’ve loved getting older. It’s a wonderful thing and I embrace it.”