The Last of Us Video Game Creator Neil Druckmann’s Santa Monica Home – The Hollywood Reporter
Neil Druckmann gestured toward his huge comic book collection. “That’s something Ellie would appreciate,” said co-president of video game developer Naughty Dog, checking out the female lead in the series. Our Last. He’ll see the character come to life starting January 15, when she’s portrayed by Bella Ramsey in the upcoming HBO series adaptation of the popular PlayStation 3 title that Druckmann conceived and wrote. the script.
The nine-episode series also stars Pedro Pascal as Joel, the shepherd smuggler who guides her through a post-apocalyptic America. “My hope is that it will completely change the way non-gamers see games that have deep storytelling capabilities,” said Israel-born Druckmann, the show’s co-creator and director. and the executive producer said.
He’s sitting in the TV room of the four-bedroom, five-bathroom Santa Monica mansion, a modern two-story home he bought in 2019, reflecting a rich inner life and vivid imagination. his.
But the embodiment of this house is new. “I was operating in a white room – this was the peak of the pandemic, the peak of Zoom – and people kept commenting that it looked like I was in prison,” Druckmann said.
Enter interior designer Kim Gordon. “I was like, ‘No, no, no. This won’t work,’” she said. Originally hired just to build his office, Gordon eventually redesigned the entire house.
“When we first started, I think he saw home as just where he slept,” says Gordon. “That changed as the rooms started to grow and he started to consider what he wanted to be surrounded by.”
For example, Druckmann’s deserted office has become a warm, welcoming space. “I did a snap and the reverberation was hard and empty,” Gordon recalls how the office used to be. “How can you tap into your creativity if a place doesn’t nurture you?” The designer brought softness through a vintage rug, navy-patterned walls, thick curtains and a curving couch. She fills the wooden bookcases with Druckmann’s favorite books and fascinating memorabilia. Displaying his guitars next to a worn-out leather chair has become an invitation – now, when work feels stressful, Druckmann will make them. “And then I can go back to work, calm down,” he said.
He found the transformation hilarious. He said: “It’s funny because I’m very passionate about environment and game design, but for some reason, I never moved into the interior field.
Now the house is a testament to his passion. “I love having these artifacts around,” he said. “They have a nostalgic value to them that gives me joy.”
The stairwell showcases the vintage-style Polycade video game console, while in the dining room, the magnifying chairs, the horse skeleton print, and the fixture lamp like a group of cells, all speak to joy. His fascination with anatomy. The wall of the living room houses his record collection, and instead of the TV, there’s a large stone slab above the fireplace. “I wanted a similar room, without a TV,” says Druckmann. “When guests arrive, this is where we sit and talk.”
In the kitchen, Gordon swapped out a dreary gray cabinet with a walnut front and brought in an antique cabinet. Upstairs, Gordon has turned a pair of unwieldy bookcases at the end of the hallway into a nook that becomes a bedtime play space for Druckmann and his kids. The video game developer even walked around the couch that Gordon suggested he put in the master bathroom. “The kids always come here to brush their teeth and we’ll hang out together,” he said. “Now I can’t even imagine a bathroom without a couch.”
He added: “Like in games, a lot of design is about problem solving. “So I really like that Kim focuses on what’s important to me. She came up with some really cool ideas and made the house truly livable.”
This story first appeared in the November 30 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to sign up.
