The Last Of Us viewers praise Bryan actor for small but heartbreaking performance

Spoiler warning: this article contains spoilers for episode four of The Last of Us - be sure to get caught up if you haven’t already.

I’m sure we can all agree that literally everyone in HBO’s The Last of Us has been perfectly cast, but one actor has now been praised for his exceptional performance in episode four, which completely transformed what could have been a very insignificant moment into one which was far more impactful.

While the latest episode wasn’t short of moments to make us laugh, Joel and Ellie’s encounter with a group of violent survivors took a surprisingly heartbreaking turn. It’s clear that the TV show’s version of Joel (played by the talented Pedro Pascal) isn’t nearly as violent and ruthless as he is in the game, but that’s led to some very tense and far more poignant moments.

Take a look at the trailer for The Last of Us below.

Viewers on Reddit have been praising the performance of Juan Magana as Bryan. Who’s Bryan, you ask? He’s the survivor who Ellie shot in order to save Joel from being choked to death. Since she didn’t instantly kill him, he began to beg for his life before Joel eventually finished him off. It’s a very hard watch.

“Shout out to Juan Magana who played Bryan. He killed it in this heartbreaking small role,” MajorRichardHead7 wrote. “Calling for his mom at the end was horrifying and haunting. I kept thinking about my own 14-year-old son. Was terrific acting but terrible to hear. And having to finish him with the knife was an extra kick to the guts,” wrote aacawe. “Him screaming for his mom was unexpected. I’m happy they didn’t put that in the games because I wouldn’t have been able to kill them,” BradyNFriends added.

The next episode of The Last of Us is set to air two days earlier than usual to avoid clashing with the Super Bowl, so be sure to mark your calendar.