The Last Of Us actor claims the Bloater has become 'a bit of a sex icon'

Spoiler warning: this article contains spoilers for The Last of Us’ fifth episode - scroll with caution.

The Bloater was, for many, the highlight of The Last of Us’ most recent episode, and the actor who played the grotesque creature has revealed that the chungus fungus has been going down a bit too well with some fans.

No one can deny how visually impressive The Last of Us’ TV adaptation is. The chaotic Infected horde scene in ‘Endure and Survive’ was already incredible to look at, but it’s absolutely mind-blowing to think that all of the Infected - Bloater included - were mostly constructed using practical effects (costumes and makeup).

Take a look at the teaser for The Last of Us’ sixth episode, ‘Kin’, below.

This means that there was a whole guy inside a huge Bloater costume, and his name is Adam Basil. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the actor revealed that people have been sending him thirsty DMs after his appearance in the show as “the big daddy mushroom”. That’s a phrase I never thought I’d be writing out on a Friday morning, or ever, for that matter.

“He seems to be a bit of a sex icon,” he told EW. “He's captured a lot of people's imaginations. Someone asked me if I'd come to their wedding. I've had people sending me love messages. He really brought out something in people that I don't think even they knew they had. He's the big daddy mushroom, I think there's been a [meme].”

Basil is also hopeful that the Bloater could return in the future: “I mean, he ran off into the night. It's Valentine's Day. Maybe he was off to meet the Bloater of his dreams. Maybe that's what he was. It's hard to top that just ‘cause of how much he's captured everyone's imaginations.”

I don’t know who out there is thirsting over the Bloater, but at least Basil doesn’t seem to mind.