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The newest episode of HBO’s The Last of Us featured an unexpected guest star, and now we know how this person came to appear on the show and the backstory of their biggest bit of dialogue. This story contains spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2.
To begin with, yes, that was Nickelodeon star Josh Peck from Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show who appeared at the beginning of Episode 4 playing a FEDRA soldier in a flashback scene set in 2018.
Peck played Janowitz, and while his appearance was short, it was memorable. The character gives a biting monologue to other FEDRA soldiers in a military vehicle about his excitement over detaining “voters.” This is the dismissive term that FEDRA gave to survivors in quarantine zones who had their rights taken away.
Another FEDRA soldier, Greenberg, jokes with Janowitz about a time they detained someone by referencing “jerking off and spl**ging in the streets.” One of the detainees talked back to the FEDRA soldiers, and Janowitz said he remembers abusing the detainee and saying, “Nobody asked you, ji**boy!”
The line gets a laugh from the fellow soldiers, but not from Isaac (Jeffrey Wright). In this scene, we learn that Isaac is actually a double agent of sorts, and ultimately betrays FEDRA to help a group of local rebels led by Hanrahan (Alanna Ubach). When Isaac meets Hanrahan, he confirms his duplicity by locking Janowitz and other soldiers in the van and tossing in a grenade to kill them all.
How Peck got the part
Speaking to Variety, Peck said he is a “wimp” and couldn’t bring himself to watch The Last of Us Season 1 right away. But he eventually did, and binged it all. When he auditioned for his role in Season 2, he said he didn’t expect to hear back. But he did hear back, and he got the role, which was just his latest part in a non-comedy production following Opppenheimer.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that anything I’ve done that’s been at a higher level, be it something like Oppenheimer or this or when I’ve gotten the chance to work with great actors, it feels refreshingly easy because everything has been worked out,” he said. “There are no holes in the script. Everyone is at the top of their game, and you feel excited to be a part of that team.”
Regarding the “jizzboy” comment, Peck said, “War can make people say and do things that they never thought they were capable of doing.”
“Obviously, nothing in my life could ever match up to something this extreme and horrible, thankfully, but I could relate it to just telling my friends one of my favorite stories that still cracks me up,” Peck said.
There are three episodes left in The Last of Us Season 2, but fans needn’t worry, as HBO has already announced Season 3. New episodes of The Last of Us air Sunday nights at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET on HBO and Max.
