Speaking with Variety, Merced provides details on the subway scene in The Last of Us season 2, episode 4. The actor reveals it was "really challenging" and took about a week to film. She remembers that it was "dark down there" and smelled terrible because of manure used for set decoration. Merced also provides details about a secret code she and Ramsey had to signal if they wanted to tap out to let a stunt double take over. Check out the full quote from Merced below:
With the scene in the subway tunnels, Dina and Ellie are actually saved from the Wolves by the infected horde — and Dina’s trying to count them, but she doesn’t have enough fingers. Where should I start with questions for you about the sequence? It was such a huge set piece.
It was massive. Oh my God. And it was definitely really challenging. I think we spent a week in there, I don’t even know. It felt like a blur. And whenever we could, we would just try to escape outside and get some sun. It was really, really dark.
And I just remember fun facts about that, I guess, would be that set dec is supposed to have some sort of soil and dirt as cooperated, but a lot of times they use the fertilizer, which has manure in it. But they didn’t have enough time to prepare, I guess, so they brought in the manure and it hadn’t had time to air out. So the majority of that experience, it smelled like shit. It was really disgusting. Also, Dina’s doing a lot of cardio, Ellie’s doing a lot of cardio running around. There are tons of infected, and it was actually just a crazy experience. So much happening.
Were those subway cars really rocking? Was it hard to keep your balance?
Yeah, they were actually rocking. I think they might’ve been on one of those mechanical stands, but also at the same time, they literally had the groups of people pushing on them. I could actively feel myself bouncing from one end of the car to the other, and then also having to shoot the guns in the right place — it was a really crazy sequence. It took a long time to do.
But because of that experience, Bella and I ended up creating a secret language — that was the sequence in which we created a secret sign language to just communicate with each other about what it is that we were comfortable with or uncomfortable with when it came to what they were asking of us. And then also if we needed to pee or if we needed to…
Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean, comfortable with physically?
Yeah, comfortable with physically. You don’t ever want to be that one person that goes, “Oh, I actually don’t want to do that” — because then as a young woman, you risk a reputation. So we would have to really be allies for each other, and we communicated first within the safety of us two, and then we would go, “Well, we’re going to both say that we don’t want to do it.”
In terms of stunts, or what kinds of —
Yeah.
So you could tap in a stunt double at a certain point if you wanted to?
Yeah, absolutely. They were always there, and most of the time HBO preferred that they did it. But Bella is someone very excited about the action, and maybe it’s because they’re younger than me, and I’ve been doing this for so long, I’m like, “Ah, I don’t get paid to do stuff, so I’m good! There’s somebody who has that job for a reason.”
Of course. Did you emerge unscathed? Were you OK?
Yeah, honestly, I was fine. I didn’t really feel unsafe ever. They were really on it. It’s the perks of being a part of such a big-budget production.
What This Meant For The Last Of Us Season 2, Episode 4
The Episode Had An Intense Fight
The scene in question occurs when Ellie and Dina are trying to escape the Wolves in Seattle. They flee into the tunnels, and while sneaking around, discover hoards of infected. This season of The Last of Us has seen massive amounts of infected already, particularly in episode 2 when a group of infected storm the Jackson base. However, Ellie and Dina had only previously fought a few infected together at this point.
The scene reads intensely to audiences, so it is no surprise that the filmmaking is also intense. Merced's explanation shows that the rocking subway effects were not just CGI add-ons, but rather represented the motion of these massive set pieces. This added to the danger of the scene as Ellie and Dina are already in claustrophobic spaces with the infected. The subway scene involved Merced doing some of her more challenging stunts, hence why she and Ramsey may have at times needed to sub in a stunt actor.
Our Take On The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 4 Subway Scene
It Is A Strong Moment
The work The Last of Us team put into the subway sequence paid off, in my opinion. The post-apocalyptic series has to try to balance the intimate interpersonal drama at the core of the show with the action sequences that draw in fans of the game. The Last of Us season 2, episode 4 is a great example of that balance, as its action forces its characters into very small spaces, adding to their bond once they escape. This kind of intimacy and claustrophobia makes these particular action sequences more emotionally charged.
