Contrary to a popular rumor, The Last of Us Part II writer and director Neil Druckmann says he didn't insert himself into the critically acclaimed PS4 exclusive via a character. From the beginning, The Last of Us Part II was always going to be a controversial video game. Many consider the original 2013 title from Sony developer Naughty Dog to be a perfect experience, an adventure that didn't necessitate a foll0w-up. Nevertheless, the sequel was officially announced in 2016, and has since garnered wide attention for its depictions of violence and sexuality.
In the grand scheme of things, one of the lesser controversies of The Last of Us Part II involves the character Manny. According to some online viewers, Manny bore an uncanny resemblance to Neil Druckmann, the auteur lead developer of the critically-acclaimed and notoriously bleak Naughty Dog series. This has led many players to speculate that Manny functions as an in-game self-insert, something not unheard of in entertainment media.
Druckmann took to Twitter to dispel this rumor, pointing out that he is - in his own words - "not quite as handsome or talented" as Alejandro Edda, the performer who provided voice and motion capture work for Manny. Edda is best known for playing El Chapo in Narcos: Mexico, and has also been seen in Fear The Walking Dead and The Bridge. Naughty Dog fans might also recognize him as the voice of Gustavo from Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
The Last of Us Part II suffers from no shortage of controversies, which range from the unexpected leak of pre-release spoilers by bad actors to Naughty Dog's alleged use of exploitative crunch practices in the development of the game. That's all to say nothing of the aforementioned depictions of sex, gender, and violence in the M-rated PlayStation game, which has upset various fans and critics for myriad reasons. For a community already scouring for more reasons to dislike The Last of Us Part II, the idea of a director inserting himself into the story as a character who participates in a sex scene was simply more fodder for the game's many vocal haters.
Much of the controversy surrounding The Last of Us derives from knee-jerk reactions to either the sexuality or the violence depicted in the game, often from people who haven't even played it. Like most far-flung conspiracies, this one is entirely untrue, since Druckmann doesn't play the character, nor does he look or sound particularly like Alejandro Edda. For players who want to experience the difference for themselves, The Last of Us Part II is out now exclusively on PlayStation 4.
Source: Neil Druckmann