Brutal Bootcamp for the Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and The Last of Us Star Proves How Bad Audiences Can Be Right Now

The Last of Us is one of the most popular video game franchises ever, and it is not just for the flashy visuals and emotional storytelling. Naughty Dog wanted to give the gaming community a cinematic, yet interactive experience that could rival major Hollywood blockbusters and passed with flying colors. Unfortunately, in every tale of success comes a fair share of trials and hardships.

The studio’s name will forever be part of the online hate discussion. Director Neil Druckmann learned that the online community is vocal and will deliver their message even if it is aggressive. To that end, Druckmann has been preparing Tati Gabrielle, the lead of his new project, for the hate they will face.

After The Last of Us, Neil Druckmann Took Extra Steps To Prep Tati Gabrielle

After witnessing the hate and online backlash Laura Bailey received for her performance in The Last of Us Part 2, Neil Druckmann realized he must take a few extra steps to protect the actors. Naughty Dog has always pushed the envelope and delivered great games, and Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will be no different, with Tati Gabrielle as the lead. However, being the face of a new IP from a controversial studio has perks and disadvantages.

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet was revealed during last year’s The Game Awards, and some fans have already started tearing it to shreds after watching a brief teaser. Gabrielle will likely receive the same treatment Bailey had, and most of the reasons are the same. Not everyone is eager to play a game as a strong female protagonist, and in this case, a woman of color. Gabrielle recently shared in an interview how Druckmann has been preparing her to face the online hate.

Neil’s been bootcamp-ing me,” she says — though perhaps not in the ways you might think. “I know Troy’s experience, I know Ashley’s experience…I know Laura Bailey’s experience.

While some fans are ecstatic that Naughty Dog is moving beyond Uncharted and The Last of Us, some are more focused on hating an actor because of her appearance.

I got a lot of love, but there was a lot of hate over me being a woman, me being a woman of color, me having my head shaved, all these things that I didn’t even actually initially see — I’m out of the social media zeitgeist for that reason — but once I did, Neil was like, ‘Ignore it. No matter what, me and you, we’re going to make something beautiful. We’re going to make something that we’re proud of.

Amidst the racist comments, Gabrielle believes in Druckmann’s words of affirmation. It is the world that we live in today, where keyboard warriors can spout hate comments for actors doing their jobs and target people of color. Druckmann sees something in Gabrielle and wants to share with the world, the same way Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, and Laura Bailey carried The Last of Us.

Others may have a problem with Gabrielle for her appearance and the color of her skin, but at the end of the day, she is the face of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, an original new game from a well-known developer. Druckmann’s bootcamp program is a necessity for every actor, especially since hate comments are a problem that will likely never go away.

For more Thumb Wars coverage, check out how a long-standing theory about a connection between The Penguin and Gotham Knights was debunked, and our picks for Game of the Year contenders now that GTA 6 is delayed. Otherwise, follow Thumb Wars on X, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram to keep up with the latest news, reviews, and interviews!