By Frederic B. LeBlanc and Sean Gallagher

Few voice actors have shaped the auditory landscape of modern storytelling quite like Troy Baker. From breathing life into the tragic, weathered soul of Joel Miller in The Last of Us video games to stepping into live-action prestige television and most recently claiming the fedora of Indiana Jones in The Great Circle, Baker’s career spans gaming, TV, and cinema. Yet, as he revealed during his Q&A at the 2026 Montreal Comiccon, his mastery does not stem from a place of unshakeable confidence. Instead, it is born from a deliberate, lifelong habit of chasing what terrifies him, finding comfort right at the edge of his own limitations.

Following fellow voice actor Nolan North’s visit to the Montreal Comiccon back in 2023, Troy Baker shows us that, once again, voice actors are incredible guests! Interested in their audience, passionate about their craft and very entertaining, Baker’s Q&A was inspiring to say the least.

Confronting the Ghost of Joel Miller (in both TV & Gaming)

When HBO announced its live-action adaptation of The Last of Us, Baker faced a surreal dilemma. He had already spent years defining Joel in the digital realm. Yet, when the opportunity arose to audition for a new live-action role within the television series, James, a member of David’s cannibalistic group, Baker was gripped by an acute, unexpected fear. Unlike the other actors in the waiting room who had meticulously studied the new script, Baker arrived knowing very little about the specific iteration of the role. The intimidation was so intense he almost walked out of the audition entirely.

In that moment of panic, Baker found himself reflecting on perspective: “What would the younger Troy think of this hesitation?” To back down would be to let fear dictate the boundaries of his career. Channelling the classic sci-fi mantra that “fear is the mind-killer,” he pushed through the anxiety. Fear, in Baker’s view, is the ultimate anchor; it actively prevents us from attempting the impossible. But there’s also the feeling of acceptance, that maybe a role isn’t made for him. Which is why he was very accepting that he wasn’t meant to play Mad Max in the video game, a role he did win and started working on, but his Texan swagger maybe wasn’t best suited for the Aussie wastelander. But then, there’s the resistance to accepting a role. He was initially hesitant to even take on the role of Joel in The Last of Us, but the casting director eventually railroaded him into taking the audition, something he is forever grateful for.

Invoking the spirit of the classic film Field of Dreams, a film about doing the impossible, he noted that pursuing the seemingly impossible requires a leap of pure, irrational faith. Though Pedro Pascal was destined to step into Joel’s boots for television, Baker’s left-field, terrifying jump into the live-action adaptation proved that his connection to that universe was far from over.

He had plenty of anecdotes from his time on the set of the HBO show, but none more interesting or amusing than what happened on a cold, snowy day that forced the show to delete one of the scenes he was in. As mentioned, David’s group are cannibalistic out of a forced need for survival, so the idea is that these people are desperate. But while filming in the Canadian Rockies, where thermal clothing was needed to keep the cast warm, a whole herd of caribou walked onto the set and ruined the scene, which involved his character fighting with David, as it would be hard to justify David’s tendencies when a walking buffet was wandering just outdoors. Due to time limitations, they couldn’t wait for the herd to move and thus had to cut the scene, which featured Troy. He also candidly admitted that he didn’t get along with the episode’s director, Ali Abbasi, that well.

Decoding Indiana Jones, an action junkie

This philosophy was put to the ultimate test when he was approached to play the title character in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in 2024. His initial reaction? He almost turned it down, just like he almost turned down Joel. “I was terrified that it would be just an impression”, he said. He didn’t want to merely mimic Harrison Ford, nor could he find a part of himself within the already established and iconic character, a key requirement for the roles he takes on. As he stated, he plays his characters with a 90% baseline of what he knows from real-life experiences, and fills out the rest, whereas his friend Nolan North has a 10% baseline and uses so much imagination for the rest of the performance.

After winning over Todd Howard, who initially didn’t want Troy to play Indy, he had to find his way into the character; Baker had to look past the pop-culture caricature and study Ford’s performance specifically right after Raiders of the Lost Ark (this is when the journey of The Great Circle begins). He began to analyze the psychological makeup of the archaeologist hero.

Baker concluded that Indiana Jones is not just a dashing hero; he is an addict. He is a man hopelessly addicted to violence, to war, to the adrenaline of adventure, and the high of historical discovery. By anchoring his interpretation in this sense of profound obsession rather than vocal imitation, Baker found the human core of an icon. The result is incredible: a voice that truly sounds like Dr. Jones, but which remains truly his own.

Of course, Indiana Jones isn’t Troy’s only tenure as a treasure hunter, having played Sam in Uncharted 4. He initially wanted to get a job in Uncharted 2, but the opportunity never came. But after working with Neil Druckmann on The Last of Us, he got a call to come back to Naughty Dog for the fourth adventure in the swashbuckling treasure hunting series as Nathan Drake’s estranged brother. His reply to getting the call to join the franchise? “Don’t fuck with me, dude!” he told Druckmann, for fear of having his wish crushed prematurely. One of the contributions he made to the character of Sam was to constantly call his brother “Nathan”, whereas every other character in the franchise refers to him as “Nate”, citing that as something a brother would do. Druckmann liked the idea so much that he changed the script to incorporate Troy’s idea.

Troy’s personality can be interpreted as positive, inspiring, and maybe a little goofy. Which is probably the mindset he went into Persona 4 with for the role of Kanji. But the team over at Atlus actually ripped into Troy a bit for his initial interpretation of the role, as they saw Troy playing the character as more like a joke. They wanted him to take the role more seriously, as they actually wanted to say something about the darkness within ourselves, and the acceptance of said darkness, with the game. He went on to talk about the relationship consumers have with games relative to books, television, or movies, as there’s a sense of interactivity with a game character that you just don’t get in other mediums that creates a partnership between narrative and player.

Ultimately, Baker’s reflections at Montreal Comiccon served as a cautionary tale for aspiring creatives. In an industry built on hustle, actors are conditioned to say “yes” to every opportunity that comes their way. But Baker challenges this notion, warning that saying “yes” can often be the entirely wrong move if it comes from a place of desperation or comfort. True artistic integrity requires the discernment to know when a project serves your growth and your talent—and the courage to face the ones that terrify you the most.