The Last Of Us Episode 5 featured 10-year-old actor Keivonn Woodard playing the role of Sam, and it turns out he’s not just a fine actor, but he’s also a hockey player with big goals in mind.
The Color of Hockey’s William Douglas profiled Woodard for ESPN, and in it, Woodard–who, like his Last of Us character, is deaf in real life–said he wants to become the NHL’s first deaf Black player. The story also covers Woodard’s experience playing Sam on The Last of Us.
Woodard didn’t have a lot of acting experience before joining The Last of Us–in fact, showrunner Craig Mazin put out an open casting call on Twitter just to find someone to play Sam, and that’s how Woodard got the role. Mazin said in the interview that Woodard is “just one of those people you meet where you go, ‘OK, there is such a thing as just natural talent,’ and he has it.”