Toronto’s Natasha Mumba stars in the highly acclaimed HBO drama, The Last of Us, as Kim, a survivor and member of Firefly. The Last of Us is an adaptation of the video game series of the same name, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. The show takes place in a post-apocalyptic America, a place of desperation where the main goal is survival for both the humans infected with a deadly fungus virus and for the remaining survivors. Too soon? In conversation with smART Magazine, Mumba doesn’t fail to make the comparison between her character’s struggle and the social dynamics that sparked during the COVID-19 pandemic. An aspiring director, Mumba’s involvement was also an immersive learning experience for her. Here she discusses the dynamics of working on a big-budget production, and her growth as an actor and creator.

sM | The Last of Us takes place in a post-apocalyptic world that has been destroyed by a devastating pandemic. What lessons from the real-life pandemic we’re emerging from help to construct the social dynamics of this fictional pandemic?

NM ── I think it made me more empathetic...