Rahul Kohli's Midnight Mass character is a tribute to The Last of Us
Kohli and director Mike Flanagan pay tribute to Naughty Dog's character
Rahul Kohli's character in Netflix series Midnight Mass is an homage to Joel Miller of The Last of Us.
Kohli revealed the fact earlier this week on Twitter, which you can see below, writing that both himself and Midnight Mass series director Mike Flanagan were enamoured with The Last of Us protagonist. As a result, Sheriff Hasan, Kohli's character in Midnight Mass, has a look inspired in part by the character from the Naughty Dog game.
It’s true, when developing the look of Sheriff Hassan, so moved were @flanaganfilm and I by @Neil_Druckmann’s The Last of Us, and @TroyBakerVA’s incredible performance as Joel, we both agreed to pay homage to this wonderful character with a Joel inspired look. #MidnightMass pic.twitter.com/cQVVX1qe3oSeptember 22, 2021
Midnight Mass, if you're unfamiliar, is a new horror series hitting Netflix later this week on September 24. It tells the story of an isolated community in rural America, whose pre-existing divisions are further ruptured by the return of disgraced altar boy-turned atheist Riley Flynn.
The new series marks Kohli's second collaboration with director Mike Flanagan. The two previously worked together on The Haunting of Bly Manor, where Kohli played the beloved cook and general handyman Owen. Midnight Mass marks Flanagan's third horror series to debut on Netflix, after The Haunting of Hill House launched in 2018, and The Haunting of Bly Manor arrived last year in 2020.
As for Joel Miller though, The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal will be portraying the character in the upcoming HBO adaptation. The Last of Us TV show might not have a release date just yet, but production is full steam ahead in Canada, where Gabriel Luna has been cast as Joel's brother Tommy, and newcomer Nico Parker is playing Joel's daughter, Sarah.
The first Midnight Mass reactions are now in ahead of its premiere, and some are saying it's even better than The Haunting of Hill House. In the meantime, be sure to check out the best Netflix horror movies streaming right now.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.