Another returning creative key to the identity of The Last of Us is Argentine composer Gustavo Santaolalla, whose music is part of the DNA of The Last of Us game and its sequel, The Last of Us Part II. For the television show, composing duties were split between Santaolalla and Superman composer David Fleming, with Fleming taking on some of the more action-packed moments and Santaolalla’s music often used for thematic, emotional scenes.
ScreenRant spoke with Gustavo Santaolalla about his work on The Last of Us season 2. Santaolalla shared insights into his career and composing process, and reflected on how his cameo in The Last of Us season 2 premiere came to be. Plus, the composer weighed in on why he thinks his music has had such a lasting impact.
The Last Of Us Was Always Going To Include The Game’s Music
“It Would Have Been A Terrible Mistake To Change That”
“Let’s start from the beginning,” said Gustavo Santaolalla, reflecting on what made him want to be a part of a game called The Last of Us over a decade ago, “I was writing music for a great story. I think you could do it [as] a puppet theater show [and] it will work, too.” It wasn’t the gameplay that the self-proclaimed “terrible gamer” was drawn to; it was the human relationships at the heart of the story. “That is what really moves the story, and what makes it so different,” Santaolalla said.
“The characters change, because the actors play [them] slightly differently. But the story is so powerful that it allows slight variations.”
Flash-forward to 2023, and The Last of Us TV adaptation became an instant hit for HBO thanks in part to stunning recreations of fan-favorite game elements–including its soundtrack. “The fact that we kept the main themes, and we kept the sonic fabric of the series…” Santaolalla said, “I think it was a great help to bridge this transition from one thing to the other. I think it would have been a terrible mistake to change that.”
“The fact that we kept [the music],” Santaolalla added, “was a very good decision.”
The Last Of Us Season 2’s Music Is Craft Over Art
But Only Because The Art Already Existed
“In Spanish, you have the words ‘arte’ and ‘artesania’,” Santaolalla shared when asked if his composing process changed from game to show. “One thing is art, and the other thing is craft. Art involves the creation of the themes, melodies, harmony–the sonic fabric. The other thing is craft. ‘How do I make this to fit in that corner?’” Santaolalla’s themes already were part of the DNA of The Last of Us, so, “once you have that, [for] the rest, basically, there’s a lot of craft involved.”
Much of that new music was written by the series’ co-composer David Fleming who, even working independently from Santaolalla, worked to keep the tone and identity of the composer’s music alive even when composing for high-octane action sequences. Santaolalla praised Fleming as “somebody that understood that [tone] and will take it through action or violent things, but keep the parameters in mind in regards to sounds and the approach in general.”
“If you have a decent piece of music, you can do it in different formats and it will work.”
The composer went on to define what the sound of The Last of Us is: “I think it is important, in the series and in the game, [to have] that economic use of an ensemble, and also the roughness–the rough edges [and] the imperfections, which are so important.”
