The Last Of Us: Bella Ramsey calls giraffe scene a 'spiritual experience'

Is it just me or was HBO’s The Last of Us over in the blink of an eye? It feels like mere days ago that the premiere was airing. They do say how time flies when you’re having fun. Fans did have a few criticisms when it came to The Last of Us’ final few episodes but I think we can all agree that the series is still one of the greatest video game adaptations of all time.

There’s so much to unpack. Did you know there were two Abby cameos in the finale? Allow me to explain. Actress Laura Bailey, who portrays Abby in Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us video game series, cameoed as a nurse in the operating theatre, plus fans spotted a woman with a braid successfully fleeing the scene who, assumedly, is the actual Abby. As dramatic as the final shootout was, the episode’s standout scene was undoubtedly the giraffe encounter which Ellie actress Bella Ramsey described as a ‘spiritual experience’.

The Last of Us Part I launches on PC on 28 March.

For the most part, the giraffe you see in the final episode is actually real. In the Making Of documentary that followed Sunday’s finale on HBO, Ramsey spoke about filming the scene with Nabo the giraffe. “Giraffes are pretty massive. It’s like a spiritual experience almost, being so close to such a magnificent animal,” they said.

Location manager Matt Palmer added, “Shooting with Nabo the giraffe will certainly be one of my favourite experiences. You can create a giraffe in visual effects, but it’s just not the same.” In the documentary, we see Bella and Pedro Pascal filming at a zoo. The enclosure is surrounded by a blue screen which allowed the VFX team to transport Joel and Ellie from a zoo enclosure to Salt Lake City, Utah.

Who’s already looking for their next The Last of Us fix? We’ve got the 10th anniversary in June and devs have already teased surprises, plus we’re waiting on the full reveal of the upcoming multiplayer title. There’s so much to look forward to.