In the fifth episode of The Last of Us, broadcast on HBO and HBO Max, we were introduced to a new enemy. The iconic Bloater (or Bloater) makes up the ultimate state that all types of infected go through in this fictional universe. Much more dangerous than the dreaded clicker that the series presented to us in previous episodes, and from which we could also see its creation process.
How was such a complete suit achieved? According to an interview with the media Variety to the make-up artist The Last of Us, a cast of the actor’s full body had to be built, and later use it to create the prostheses. Of course, the molds were made in several parts: legs, arms, head and the upper body. Then the entire team pitched in to get the actor in.
We had a zipper in the back and around the waist that we could attach. It had all these dangling mushroom folds that hid zippers and snaps.
Barrie Gower for Variety
As described by Barrie Gower, creator of the suit, they had plans for it to be very soft, slimy and wet. To do this, it was covered in a gelatinous solution. The enemy of The Last of Us it also had “little spines and spiky hairs pierced on its body, like little burrowing growths.”
All of this was covered in glitter, to give more dimension and contrast to the shapes they had created. The suit was constantly covered in this viscous substance to make it look more and more grotesque.
Barrie Gower and Adam Basil, the talent behind the Swollen of The Last of Us
Barrie Gower, one of the most experienced make-up artists, has been in charge of designing the terrifying costume of Bloater (or Bloater) for The Last of Us. He has accumulated four Emmy Awards, and has a wide portfolio under his arm.
He has also been in charge of shaping Vecna, the villain of stranger thingsto the white walkers of Game of Thronesto Vereena in the second season of The Witcher and many more characters in other works.
For his part, Adam Basil was in charge of giving life to the Swollen in the series of The Last of Us. The actor, who works as a stunt double and is 1.98 meters tall, had to wear the suit over 40kg and be coated multiple times in viscous liquid.
The Last of Us has opted to recreate his enemies through the noble art of prosthetics and makeup. In a medium where it is increasingly common for these elements to be completely manufactured through computers –CGI–, it is appreciated that they have taken the time to give a much more realistic appearance to the elements that make up their work.
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If you haven’t seen it yet, resist and survive is the name of the last episode from the live action series based on The Last of Us. In addition to this Swollen, we are also introduced to important characters who arrive to become entangled in the story of Ellie and Joel. It has been so successful that it aims to become the standard series on HBO and HBO Max.