The Last of Us 2's Ashley Johnson learned archery to help her portray Ellie

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"I wanted to get better at it"

(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

Ashley Johnson, the actress best known for playing Ellie in The Last of Us and its yet-to-be-released sequel, The Last of Us 2, has revealed that she took archery lessons for the upcoming PS4 game.

Speaking on an episode of Retro Replay with her Last of Us co-stars Troy Baker and Nolan North (starting from about the 7:35 mark below), the former commented on Johnson's impressive archery skills, and asked what had piqued her interest in the sport. 

"I am good with the bow," acknowledges Johnson, explaining with some hesitation that the desire to learn "came from wanting to get at better at that skill for... I don't know if I can say this... for the second game." 

The actor was quick to add that "there might not be an [archery] option in the game", seemingly emphasizing that her own approach to getting into character isn't any indication of how heavily the bow and arrow will feature in-game, though last year's demos have already shown Ellie wielding the weapon with formidable skill. 

In other Last of Us 2 news, the game recently received its "M" for "Mature" rating from the ESRB, revealing it as the first Naughty Dog title to feature "sexual content", suggesting that the studio isn't shying away from the maturer undertones of its apocalypse-set sequel. 

If you're interested, here's more information on how to pre-order The Last of Us 2, which, given the pedigree of the studio behind, we reckon you definitely should. 

For more, check out everything revealed in Last of Us 2's Outbreak Day info drop, or watch below for our hands-on gameplay preview of the sequel. 

Alex Avard
Alex Avard

Alex is a former Features Writer at GamesRadar, which once made him responsible for gracing the internet with as many of my words as possible, including reviews, previews, interviews, and more. Lucky internet!