Josh Peck made a surprise appearance in the latest episode of 'The Last of Us' season two, playing a Federal Disaster Response Agency soldier named Janowitz. In an interview, he discussed his audition process and how he connected with his character's monologue, which involved telling an expletive-laden story about detaining residents known as 'voters'. Peck expressed his excitement about working with Craig Mazin, attributing his successful experiences on high-level projects to solid writing and teamwork. To humanize his character, Peck related the storyline to personal anecdotes, aiming to portray Janowitz as more than just a soldier following orders. Additionally, earlier this year, Peck and his wife Paige announced they are expecting their third child together.

Josh Peck appeared in 'The Last of Us' as Janowitz, a soldier who shares a profane story about detaining residents referred to as 'voters', highlighting the residents' loss of rights in the Quarantine Zone.

During his interview, Peck revealed that the audition was a pleasant surprise, as he typically doesn't receive such well-written roles, and he was thrilled to be cast after sending his audition tape.

Working with renowned creator Craig Mazin was a highlight for Peck, who praised the cohesive effort and top-notch quality of the production, attributing the ease of his performance to the strength of the script and the talent involved.

Peck connected with his character by finding parallels in personal stories, focusing on the humanizing aspects of Janowitz's actions, portraying him as someone who empathizes with those being bullied.

Peck described his character as a mouthpiece and consiglieri, someone adept at following orders, yet he questioned whether Janowitz would ever rise to higher ranks like an Isaac.

The portrayal allowed Peck to explore themes of camaraderie and moral ambiguity within a structured military environment, adding depth to his character's seemingly straightforward role.

Apart from his career developments, Peck and his wife Paige are expecting their third child, marking a significant personal milestone for the family.

Josh Peck is opening up about his surprise appearance in the latest episode of The Last of Us season two!

The 38-year-old Oppenheimer actor, best known for starring on Nickelodeon as a teen, showed up in the beginning of the Sunday night (May 4) episode of the hit HBO series.

Josh, per Variety, appeared as “Janowitz, a Federal Disaster Response Agency soldier who bonded with his brothers-in-arms by telling them an expletive-ridden story about detaining ‘voters’ — the ironic FEDRA nickname for Quarantine Zone residents who’ve had their rights stripped away.”

While speaking with the outlet about his guest role, the actor dished on his audition and how he related to his character’s monologue.

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“It was just an audition that came in and, like most great writing, when I read the scene, I was like, ‘I think I know how to do this,’” Josh told Variety. “I sent it out into the universe and hoped, but sort of didn’t expect to hear anything back because I don’t usually get things as good as this. So when I heard back, I was so excited.”

“I feel very, very lucky to have been involved and to have been able to work with someone like Craig Mazin, who I’ve been a fan of for a long time,” he added. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that anything I’ve done that’s been at a higher level, be it something like Oppenheimer or this or when I’ve gotten the chance to work with great actors, it feels refreshingly easy because everything has been worked out. There are no holes in the script. Everyone is at the top of their game, and you feel excited to be a part of that team.”

Josh also shared that he tried to find a connection between his character’s story and a story from his own life to relate to the guy.

“I tried to connect the story to a story in my real life that I’ve told before that’s totally benign and maybe would only make me laugh. He’s kind of talking about that he wanted to save the guys, in some respect, that were getting bullied,” he said. “Like, he was almost upset or he was just throwing his hand up that this one guy who continued to talk, knowing that they had this insane fellow soldier that was going to make that person pay. It was finding these subtle, humanizing points so that I don’t look at this kid like a total monster. He’s like a consiglieri. He seemed to me like a mouthpiece. He was good at following orders and whatnot. But did I ever think that he would attain the the ranks of an Isaac? I’m not sure.”

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If you missed it, earlier this year Josh and his wife Paige announced they are expecting their third child together!