An Improv Comedian Brought The Last Of Us' Clickers To Horrifying Life
"The Last of Us" introduces audiences to a new kind of apocalypse, one where an incurable fungal infection sweeps across the globe and plunges the world into darkness. Most of the population has turned into creatures called Clickers, though they aren't your average undead monster. Like zombies, they've lost any shred of humanity, though the parasitic Cordyceps infection that transformed them has left mushroom-like growths all over their bodies. Clickers are quick on their feet, though their movements are inhuman and jarring. However, their most prominent characteristic is what gives them their name: the screeching, croaking, and clicking sounds that accompany every Clicker attack.
A unique antagonist demands a fitting design, so it makes sense that "The Last of Us" showrunners were ruthless in their pursuit of creating the perfect Clickers. To help bring the Clickers to life, the minds behind the show even recruited some of the people who created the creature's signature sound for the 2013 video game that inspired the series. It's hard to believe that those otherworldly noises come from actual people, though the cornerstone of the resulting vocals is surprisingly human. Let's take a look at how voice actor Misty Lee contributed to "The Last of Us" franchise.
Voice actor Misty Lee is responsible for the Clicker noises
Misty Lee has lent her voice to games like "God of War" and "Star Wars Battlefront" and has been seen on stage performing improv comedy. As it turns out, she's also one of the people who originally gave the Clickers their voice in "The Last of Us." Those ominous screeches and clicks heard in both the video game and the television show are Lee's handiwork. In an interview with Polygon, Lee explained that "The Last of Us" sound designers had a blank slate when she joined the project.
"When I started, I went into the booth and they were like, 'We're looking for some sounds. These are some of the creatures in this game we're working on. We don't quite know what they sound like. This is what they're going to look like, and this is what they do," the voice actor said regarding the evolution of the creature's vocals. Later in the interview, Lee elaborated on the logistics that went into finding the Clickers' sound: "They don't have a voice — they're not really a voiced character. Their voice box has been beaten, it's been infected. We want to stay away from anything that sounds too human, but remembering they were human once. We don't want to remove humanity completely."
Thanks to Lee, along with sound designers Phil Kovats and Derrick Espino, the Clickers on the show are true to the creatures seen in the game. The team's hard work definitely paid off, as "The Last of Us" fans are already loving HBO's depiction of the Clickers.