Video game adaptations are a tricky thing for television and film. Outside of a few examples, there hasn’t necessarily been one that’s matched positive general consensus from gamers and non-gamers alike. That changed at the top of 2023 when HBO premiered their adaptation of Sony’s award-winning horror/action game The Last of Us. Released in 2013, the game was praised for its narrative about a man given the task of delivering a girl across the United States as the world has gone to hell following a fungal outbreak that’s turned humans into zombie-like creatures. Chernobyl creator and writer Craig Mazin alongside The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann serve as the creators of the television adaptation which has already earned praise alongside viewership that’s gotten as high as 7.5 million viewers.

After being teased following the conclusion of episode 4, episode 5 centers around Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) being introduced to survivor Henry and his younger brother Sam. Portraying Henry is the talented Lamar Johnson, who has made a name for himself in Hollywood with his captivating performances in films such as The Hate U Give, Native Son, and Run Sweetheart Run. This Toronto-born actor brings his signature energy and charisma to the role of Henry, making this sure to be his most memorable performance yet.

In an interview with BET, Johnson discusses the preparation for his turn as Henry in The Last of Us, his thoughts on the video game that inspired the show and his ambitions outside of acting.

BET.com: How familiar were you with The Last of Us games before you got the role of Henry?

Lamar Johnson: Yeah  I was a big fan of the game. I played the game also and a lot of my friends are massive fans. So when I got the audition and I saw HBO was doing it, Craig Mazin was a part of it and Neil Druckmann was a part of it, I knew it was going to be special. So I'm just really happy to have been a part of it. What I loved about the Last of Us was obviously it's a genre game. It's kind of about zombies and things, but it wasn't just about that. I think the core of the game, was really about the relationship with Joel and Ellie alongside also the people that they meet and those dynamics and those relationships. I think that the biggest takeaway from the game is knowing how story-driven it is.

BET.com: Henry and Sam's story is this tragic tale and it's made more tragic this time with your onscreen chemistry with Keivonn Woodard. What was your biggest takeaway of this narrative arch between the two brothers?

Lamar Johnson: My biggest takeaway from them being brothers was just showing how deep their love was. Even with that scene with Joel when Henry explains to him why Kathleen and the revolutionaries are after them, it was pretty much about a life for a life to save Sam. I had to give up her brother and it’s kind of like this thing that’s tough. That just shows how deep Henry’s love for Sam is. I think that’s the reason why the ending is so sad because of everything that they’ve already done, sacrificed and been through in this episode and prior to that is why it hits so hard. These brothers went through this crazy tragic thing and you finally made it to the other side and Sam has to die by Henry’s hand. That’s pretty heavy.

BET.com: One of the clearest deviations from the game is that Sam is deaf in the HBO adaptation which leads to some touching sign language moments. Can you talk about the preparation for that?

Lamar Johnson: I actually didn’t know that I was going to have to learn sign language prior to me getting the role. Once I got the role and read the scripts, HBO and the team at The Last of Us gave me a really great support system. I had a director of ASL interpreters and everyone there to assist me in getting me really up to speed and for me to at least get it to a place that felt very organic. I understood that there is a deaf community that I’m representing in the show even though I’m not deaf myself. I’m still representing them as Sam is deaf and I sign with him so there is that representation.

BET.com: How do you feel about gaming being more respected as an art form enough to inspire these deep adaptations of source material?

Lamar Johnson: I mean I think there are a lot of great stories in video games. The only thing is I feel it can be tricky to adapt just because there’s a lot of gameplay. You’re just controlling the central character and they’re kind of going along the journey with all of this gameplay. Whereas when you’re adapting it, you just can’t just follow these two characters just walking. You have to find story and character beats alongside moments that our two leads can connect. You can see that relationship grow and build, which I think is a great thing with The Last of Us because it’s a character-driven game. There are the Clickers and the other monsters but I ultimately think it’s more about Joel and Ellie and their growing relationship alongside other characters like Bill, Tommy, Tess, Sarah, Henry and Sam. I think that the great thing about The Last of Us is that the game allowed you to care for these characters enough for it to even make sense to adapt.

BET.com: It's pretty wild that you also recently explore the brotherly dynamic in the film adaptation of BROTHER by David Chariandy which was the talk of the film festival circuit last year. What's your secret for building sibling chemistry?

Lamar Johnson: It’s ultimately about getting to know the person because I think the work that happens offscreen will translate onscreen. I think it’s important to make the connection. I never want to go into anything super blind or even necessarily blind, but I never want to say I’m doing something where I and another character is supposed to have an established relationship, I would hate to step in on day one without just meeting them for the first time. For me, it’s important for me to at least get to know them at a very base level, understand what their upbringing was like, what their family was and things like that. It’s a way to break down certain walls and just get comfortable with one another. That’s important, especially if the relationship is as important and really the backbone of the story.

BET.com: Outside of acting, you have The House of Opus design house where you’re currently selling jewelry. Can you discuss your goals for the future of the brand?

Lamar Johnson: House of Opus is really just a house of ideas. It’s a business that’s not just jewelry. I’m working on various different products like fragrances, clothes and various different accessories bags and things like that. I want to really push the envelope in terms of what’s possible. It’s a design house and we design things. It’s really just whatever we are inspired to do and we try to create and manifest that in real life. That’s sort of what we’re doing right now. We started off with jewelry which I’m really proud of and we’re working on some new things. I’m excited to continue to release products and to get them out into the world.