All Hail HBO’s Australian Darling, Murray Bartlett
I'm still recovering from the emotional damage.
HBO continues to lead the return of weekly serial TV with yet another banger episode of The Last of Us, and it’s safe to say the emotional damage from the series’ third episode will be with me for quite some time.
Yes, fans were gutted by the heart-wrenching depiction of the relationship between Frank (Murray Bartlett) and Bill (Nick Offerman), despite it never being made explicit in the original game. And while it’s sparking a lot of conversations, we’re not here to indulge gamer canon. We are here for one singular reason, and that is to stan Murray Bartlett.
The Sydney-born actor is becoming a HBO regular, and we can understand why the network wants to claim him as their own. Bartlett tends to be MVP of every show he’s in, most memorably when he starred as embattled hotel manager Armond in The White Lotus. Say what you will about the show’s somewhat clumsy critique of white privilege and colonialism — Bartlett’s scene-stealing run kept us coming back for more.
murray barlett's hbo journey pic.twitter.com/zsMd7ftsBt
— alex (@alex_abads) January 30, 2023
Now, Barlett is continuing to rack up Ws with his performance of Frank in Episode 3 of HBO’s The Last of Us. And while Frank’s character is briefly mentioned in the original game, you don’t actually get to meet him. This meant that Bartlett had a tricky part to play considering much of the show’s critical success has stemmed from the way it sticks to the source material. But he brings a warmth and beauty to his character that takes Bill and Frank’s love story from good to completely gut-wrenching.
These aren’t Barlett’s only HBO outings. After cutting his teeth in Neighbours and Home and Away, he made his HBO debut in Sex and the City as Carrie’s best friend from Down Under. While also starring in White Collar and The Good Wife, he also scored a HBO gig as career waiter Dominic “Dom” Basaluzzo in Looking, a dramedy about three gay men living in San Francisco.
The fact is that whenever Bartlett is on screen, you know that you’re in for a good time. And I only hope that he continues to find success, because after that episode of The Last Of Us? I’m officially hungry for more.