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Cambridge, England, UK. Other names. Rifken, Joel Roadie. Occupation (s) Writer, cinematographer, film producer, film director, lyricist. Joel A. Miller is a British-American writer and filmmaker. He was the writer and director of the film The Still Life and wrote the autobiography Memoir of a Roadie .
- Overview
- Biography
- Personality and traits
- Skills and abilities
- Design and appearance
- Relationships
- Behind the scenes
- Quotes
Joel Miller is the playable protagonist of The Last of Us, a supporting character in The Last of Us: Left Behind and The Last of Us Part II, the latter of which he is briefly playable in, and a playable character in the No Return mode.
Joel was a survivor in post-apocalyptic America that had been ravaged by the Cordyceps brain infection. After losing his only daughter Sarah in the early stages of the outbreak, Joel became a ruthless and cynical smuggler eventually tasked with smuggling and protecting Ellie Williams, a young girl who was the key to mankind's survival. Joel eventually formed a strong bond with her.
Background and early life
Joel was born on September 26, 1981, in Arlington, Texas, and grew up in the state alongside his younger brother Tommy. As a child, Joel developed a passion for music, learning to play acoustic guitar and once even aspired to become a singer. Joel had a daughter named Sarah, and was married to her mother for a short period of time. Saddled early in life with the responsibilities of parenthood at a young age, he never had the opportunity to attend college. Regarding his ex-wife, whatever occurred between them is painful for Joel to talk about. Shortly after Sarah was born, Joel's wife left him. As a result, he raised their only daughter as a single father for the majority of his life. The two lived together in a two-story single-family home somewhere in or around Austin, Texas, located in Travis County through Texas State Highway 71. As an adult, Joel worked as a carpenter, alongside Tommy. He kept a revolver locked in a safe box in his office and owned a pick-up truck outside his house. Building plans laid on his bedside table along with several copies of a book called Construction Regionalism on top of his bookshelf. He had ambitions of starting his own business, with a copy of Everything You Need to Know About Creating a Startup also on a table next to his bed. His job kept him fit, and he owned a treadmill in his bedroom. He mentioned in a phone call that he was struggling to keep his job with a contractor. Despite his long, hard-working hours, he still managed to spend quality time with Sarah, as seen in photographs displayed throughout their home showing the two on a cruise, at a carnival with Tommy, and one of Sarah's soccer matches. Additionally, the two often went on several hikes together. Sarah also made him take her to every museum in Texas. On his 32nd birthday—just hours leading up to the outbreak—Sarah gave him a new watch as a gift to replace the one he had broken months before. This became a cherished memento he manages to keep in the turbulent years ahead.
Legacy
Joel's body, along with the unconscious Tommy and Ellie, were found soon after by Dina and Jesse. His body was later buried in Jackson's cemetery, with many members of the community leaving condolences outside his house. Both Ellie and Tommy went after the group to avenge Joel, with Ellie receiving help from Dina and later Jesse. Ellie learned Abby had killed Joel because she and her group were ex-Fireflies from St. Mary's Hospital intent on exacting revenge for Joel's actions. Joel's death was especially traumatic for Ellie, whose complicated feelings towards her foster father were never resolved. During Ellie's final confrontation with Abby, Ellie had a chance to kill her. However, she recalled her final conversation with Joel, causing Ellie to spare the broken Abby instead. On her way back home, Ellie forgave Joel's decision to save her life and left his guitar behind at her farm house.
Described as being in his late 40's in the first game, Joel knew what the world looked like before it was devastated. As time passed, Joel became less bound by morality and more driven by doing whatever is necessary to survive. "What he wouldn't do in the past is almost a daily occurrence at this point," Bruce Straley, the game's director, notes.
Prior to the apocalypse, Joel was a caring father who worked hard to raise Sarah by himself. After the death of his beloved daughter Sarah, Joel's personality became more broody, damaged, apathetic and ruthless. These dark traits led others to describe him as a "violent thug, a brutal killer, and a torturer." He was shown to be able to kill his enemies with noteworthy brutality, earning him an infamous reputation to those he encountered. David called him a "crazy man."
During the aftermath of the epidemic that struck the country, Joel had initially become a hunter, stealing from and killing innocent people in order to get by. His time as a hunter darkened him, the man torturing individuals in a way that gave his brother "nightmares." This continued for several years, before he resorted to working in black-market dealings and smuggling items or people of interest through quarantine zones or other designated areas. Because of this, he accumulated valuable knowledge in regards to surviving the post-apocalyptic environment. Joel rarely showed signs of happiness and was often cynical. Ellie notes that Joel had stained his hands with innocent blood when he revealed to her that he had been "on both sides", thus having the knowledge about a hunters' ambush and anticipating it. This dark past contributed to his experience as a hardened survivalist.
Upon meeting Ellie, he initially had a rocky relationship with her. However, Joel later grew to trust her and found her reliable at most times, such as Ellie spotting for Joel or providing support. As time passed, Joel established a father-daughter relationship with Ellie, who reminded him of his beloved daughter, Sarah.
Over the course of their journey, Joel became extremely dedicated to Ellie, using any means possible to save her and keep her safe. He tortured two cannibals to find out Ellie's location and then killed the other prisoner after he had gained information about Ellie's location. Ellie also cared greatly for Joel, spending an entire winter feeding and protecting him when he was injured, just as Joel cared for her and protected her throughout their journey. The two would go on to form a close father-daughter bond.
Whether being selfish or not wanting to lose another 'daughter' to the whim of another again, he chose to save Ellie and try and start some semblance of a normal life again. His decision to kill Marlene inside the Fireflies facility in Salt Lake City was to ensure that no one will have the knowledge of Ellie and thus no one will go after her in the future. In this sense, he was the opposite of Marlene, who intended to sacrifice Ellie for a chance to save the rest of humanity. Joel's choice also reflects on the hardships that he and Ellie have suffered at the hands of humanity itself during their journey to find a cure, particularly David, which led Joel to decide that what is left of humanity might not be worth saving after all, especially at the cost of Ellie's life.
As a hardened survivalist, Joel displayed terrifying intensity, strength, cunning, and fierce fist-fighting prowess; he could perform fatal chokeholds, string combinations of hard punches, and other miscellaneous attacks with little fatigue or hesitance, and became adept to the point where he can out-brawl and overwhelm opponents half his age quite quickly. Joel was able to use these attributes very efficiently and this often struck fear into the hearts of human enemies, as evidenced by the fact that after Joel physically overwhelmed survivors, they would beg Joel not to kill them.
He could also hold his own against competent combatants. Despite Henry surprising him, Joel successfully overpowered and badly beat him and later easily parried his gun from him while shoving him to the ground. He could pin Robert and break his arm, shove his brother Tommy against a locker, tackle a soldier, and overpower the Firefly Ethan despite the man holding him at gunpoint. He could even overpower two cannibals, despite not having fully recovered from his life-threatening wound. Undeterred after a car crash, Joel was also able to overpower a hunter and impale him on a shard of broken glass.
However, Joel's strength occasionally lapses. Having been dazed due to falling from a great height, he was tackled by a runner, unable to force it off without assistance. He was subdued by Bill, almost bitten by a clicker when tackled by it (having to be saved by Tess), and was nearly killed by a hunter who held him underwater, needing Ellie to intervene. A cannibal also managed to wrestle him off a ledge, leading to him being critically wounded by a piece of rebar. Ethan also knocked him to the ground with a blow to his thigh.
Joel was also an expert at wielding a wide range of weapons, from handguns to rifles and bows, which he could use with great proficiency. His personal weapons of choice were the Revolver and the Shotgun. He could also capably use several melee weapons, though favored using a Machete if one was available.
He was shown to be an expert tactician, able to use both covert and overt means to overcome overwhelming odds. He was also adept at crafting improvised weapons and tools and possessed an acute sense of hearing that allowed him to pinpoint the relative location of those around him when focused. Joel was also a strong swimmer and could also hold his breath for a relatively long period of time. He could also ride a horse.
Joel was still human, however, and was just as vulnerable to death and injury as other survivors. Unlike Ellie, he was not immune to the Cordyceps infection therefore could not survive in a spore-filled environment without a gas mask. When he was mortally wounded, he was unable to move faster than a walk and struggled to climb over obstacles or stay on Callus. The wound also caused him to contract sepsis, leaving him bed-ridden for several weeks, needing antibiotics to cure him.
Joel's appearance indicated that he was in his early 50s. He had a heavy, muscular build, with dark, graying hair and a beard. He was 5 feet 11 inches (182 cm) tall and weighed 200 lbs.[fn 1] Joel had many cuts and scars on his face and arms.[fn 3] After spending a few years living in Jackson, Joel's hair and beard grew slightly longer, while his hair became deep gray.
During the design development of Joel's physical appearance, the developers worked to make him look "flexible enough" to appear as both a "ruthless operator in the underground of a quarantined city" as well as a "caring father figure to Ellie". His appearance was intended to evoke "rural American", referencing values of self-reliance and ingenuity when facing hardship and deprivation.
Joel wore a watch that was gifted to him by Sarah for his birthday the day before the outbreak. Twenty years later, its face was cracked and the mechanism was broken. He kept the watch in remembrance of Sarah. Joel would occasionally look at the watch. He would also slightly rub it when accepting Sarah's death and sympathizing with Ellie's survivor's guilt. He was most notably shown in a green checkered collared shirt, which he rolled up to his elbows, and jeans.[fn 4] He carried an old, worn canvas backpack that held a gas mask and a flashlight attached to the strap.
Throughout the game, Joel collected Firefly pendants, letters and comic books for Ellie. The player can have Joel craft health kits, Molotov cocktails, etc. which are stowed in his pack. Like Ellie, he also changed his appearance slightly in accordance with the seasons.[fn 5]
Ellie
Joel's relationship with Ellie started off on sour terms. Both Joel and Ellie were against Marlene's idea for Joel to watch over Ellie. Joel didn't even look at her in the eye until much later after their initial meeting. Joel viewed himself as someone who had to escort her rather than develop a relationship with her. Their relationship grew even more unstable after Tess' death, who made Joel promise to get Ellie to Tommy for his assistance on finding the Fireflies. He now viewed Ellie as someone he had to protect but still keep himself detached from to save his spirit, not wanting to lose someone close to him again. Joel's dedication as her protector was high, the man even attempting to reach his gun to defend Ellie despite the high possibility of Henry shooting him in Sam's defense. While Joel was willing to give Ellie small portions of responsibility like driving the truck at Bill's, he was reluctant to let her use a gun and refused to admit that she saved his life. However, he eventually admitted he needed her when he taught her how to snipe the hunters and gave her one of their guns. Months later, after seeing Henry's devotion to Sam drive him to suicide, Joel desired to be rid of Ellie. He pushed to pass her on to Tommy. When Ellie overheard Joel wanted to pass her on to Tommy, she stole one of the settlement's horses and ran away. Before Tommy informed Joel that Ellie took one of his horses, Joel shed a tear. Joel by this point, believed that parting with Ellie was for the best because he did not trust himself enough to go along with the journey, and doesn't want to be held responsible for another person's death, especially Ellie, who reminded him of Sarah. However, he asserted she was not his daughter. Eventually, their bond grew stronger later in the game. Joel, having had time to think about what Ellie said, realized that abandoning Ellie was worse than staying with her, harming any relationships she would form in the future. Therefore, he went with Ellie to the University. Their relationship peaked there, evident in how Ellie no longer feared Joel would leave her; she stays with Callus as Joel wanders around, whereas before she would try to find him like in Pittsburgh. Joel even opened up about his life with Sarah and was polite about letting her know when the topic got too personal rather than brushing her off entirely as before. When Joel was wounded and on the verge of death during the winter, Ellie tended his wound during the winter, becoming the protector he was to her. Though their bond remained strong for Joel, he noticed that Ellie was distant because of the incident with David, signifying that she was no longer as close as he was. In the spring, Joel told her he would teach her to play the guitar after meeting with the Fireflies and says he would not leave without her. At this point, he saw Ellie as a surrogate daughter as he would now do anything to save her and keep her safe, believing she was like Sarah and speculated that they would have been good friends and liked each other. A structural parallel of Joel running away from the Fireflies and holding her in his arms as he did with Sarah demonstrates their strengthened bond, but this time, Joel would save his "baby girl" from dying. This expressed Joel's philosophy of doing anything for himself, rather than the world around him; he saved Ellie to save himself, not her or humanity. Furthermore, it displayed how Joel believed that sacrificing Ellie was not worth saving humanity, many of which were ruthless killers and cannibals. Joel, in an attempt to alleviate Ellie's survivor's guilt, lied to her. He also shared his own struggle with survivor's guilt, opening up to Ellie in a way he hadn't done before, though it revealed his relationship with Ellie acted as a replacement for his daughter Sarah, rather than actually forming a unique bond with her. Over the next few years, their relationship remained strong. The two would go on to visit a ruined museum for Ellie's birthday, have movie nights, and sometimes go on patrol together. Joel also taught Ellie how to swim and play guitar. Ellie eventually wanted answers to what really happened at the hospital and discovered that Joel did in fact lie to her. When she confronted him, Joel confessed to her the truth. This shattered their relationship, with Ellie treating Joel more as a stranger than a father figure afterward. Their relationship remained broken for the next couple of years, though Joel tried to talk to and protect Ellie during this time, despite knowing that it was futile. Ellie eventually decided that she would try to forgive Joel. However, the two never got the chance repair their relationship before Abby captured and tortured him. Joel managed to open his eyes and gaze at Ellie one last time before he was murdered.
Tommy
Joel and his younger brother Tommy are close, despite their different views on life. Tommy cared about Joel enough that he covered him and Joel's daughter Sarah with his revolver during the initial outbreak and spent the majority of the post-apocalyptic years together, looking out for one another. In fact, given Joel's remark that "[Tommy] survived because of [him]" and the fact that Joel gave him commands when the pair were fleeing infected, the older brother established himself as the leader of the two, guiding and protecting Tommy throughout the majority of the post-apocalyptic years. However, their different views of the world led to conflict between them, and when Tommy joins the Fireflies, the brothers lost contact with each other, their relationship completely breaking down; the last thing Tommy said to Joel was that he did not want to see him again. Tommy even claims during their argument that he still has nightmares over what Joel and he did in order to survive. Despite this, when the brothers meet up again in Jackson County, Tommy was very glad to see Joel, embracing him and joking about his age despite Joel's doubts Tommy would forgive him. Regardless, the two soon argue about Ellie's custody, Joel greatly angered that Tommy is playing "the pissy little brother". Despite Joel shoving him and insulting his community, Tommy still accepts to take Ellie from him to save him from suffering the loss of another "daughter" and to avoid the turmoil that losing Sarah caused him. Even after all their years apart, Joel still holds him in high regard, stating to Ellie that he trusts Tommy more than he trusts himself. After the Fireflies incident, Tommy questioned him about what happened there and what Ellie knew of it, to which Joel told Tommy that he lied to Ellie in order to protect her. Later, Tommy understood his intentions and decided to keep it a secret saying that he "wouldn't have done different." As the years went by, their relationship had improved significantly. The pair now shared their trauma in the post-apocalyptic years, becoming practically inseparable. Joel and Tommy now shared jokes with each other and helped each other on patrol. Tommy even helped Joel and Ellie reconnect when they had a falling out, reflecting how Tommy valued their connection as much as he valued his with Joel. After Joel's death, Tommy was overcome with anger and a drive for vengeance, causing him travel to Seattle in order to hunt down those responsible for killing his brother.
Tess
Tess and Joel had a strong trust with each other by the events of the game. Both share the same philosophy and the same ruthlessness, earning a fearsome reputation in the Boston Quarantine Zone. Joel cared about her a great deal but this caused him to doubt her; he instantly presumed the deal "went south" when Tess comes back injured, expressing that he views Tess as vulnerable without him present to provide the muscle, even though Tess could clearly take care of herself. It is implied that at one point they were in a romantic relationship, but the bond between the pair was strong regardless; so much that Joel decided to honor Tess' final request to deliver Ellie to Tommy after she became infected. Even Bill remarked the two were inseparable. Afterward, Joel avoided talking about Tess, being angered by Ellie, and even by Bill if she was mentioned. After a year though, he didn't mind Ellie talking about her, showing that he had moved on from losing her.
•When writing Joel's character, Druckmann initially took inspiration from Josh Brolin's portrayal of Llewelyn Moss in No Country for Old Men (2007), whom he noted for being "very quiet, very cool under pressure". Subsequently, Joel was named after Joel Coen, who directed No Country for Old Men and True Grit. However Troy Baker's interpretation of Joel as a more emotional person who evolved the character in a different way. Ultimately, the narrative became an exploration of how willing a father is to save a child.
•Key to Joel's journey was displaying the character's descent into the darkest depths of human capability, notably his survivalist life style both in the Boston quarantine zone and through implicit details of Joel's actions during the twenty-year interim between the game's opening chapter and his new life with Tess. As such, dialogue in the game avoids explicitly stating Joel was a hunter, preferring to use terms such as saying he had "been on both sides". Despite this ambiguity, an audio file unused in the game revealed Druckmann and the creative team did consider having Joel blatantly state he was a hunter.
•Joel's journey out of his own darkness reached its turning point in the winter chapter when he is split from Ellie, who is captured and tormented by David, actor Nolan North's character. North remarked that David served as a foil to Joel, acting as a man who had only descended further into darkness, representing a "warped father" in contrast to Joel's more western, rugged humane self. In fitting with this contrast, Joel and David's characters never share any scenes together, with Joel instead only appearing to take Ellie away from his "warped" counterpart.
•By the game's ending, players are able to witness Joel's character arc; initially, Joel was willing to sacrifice himself to protect Sarah, before evolving to where he is willing to sacrifice his friends, until finally feeling that he would sacrifice all of humanity in order to save Ellie. Remarking on Joel's decision to save Ellie, Baker remarked that in doing so he robbed Ellie of her meaningful sacrifice to save the wider world from the infection and so robbed her life of a wider meaning because he believed Joel thought 'if we can't save one little world then it's not a world worth saving.'
The Last of Us
Joel: Joel: Sarah: Joel: Joel: Joel: Ellie: Tess: Joel: Tess: Joel: Ellie: Joel: Joel: Tommy: Joel: Tommy: Joel: Ellie: Joel: Hunter: Joel: Joel: Joel: Ellie: Joel:
The Last of Us Part II
Joel: Joel: Joel: Joel:
Oct 27, 2023 · Joel A Miller - Wall Street Capital Partners | LinkedIn. Atlanta, Georgia, United States. 4K followers 500+ connections. View mutual connections with Joel A. Welcome back. Wall Street...
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Jan 12, 2023 · Joel Miller is a main character in HBO's The Last of Us. After losing his only daughter, Sarah, during the early stages of the Cordyceps brain infection outbreak, Joel became a hardened survivor in a post-apocalyptic America.
Joel Miller is a character in the video game series The Last of Us by Naughty Dog. In the games, he is portrayed by Troy Baker through motion capture and voice acting; in the television adaptation, he is portrayed by Pedro Pascal.
Oct 27, 2023 · Joel A Miller | LinkedIn. Wall Street Capital Partners & Mornings w/ Joel CRE Podcast. View articles by Joel A Miller. "Go Big or Go Home: The Compelling Case for… October 27, 2023. 25...
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Joel A. Miller. Founder and Principal. Mr. Miller brings a unique set of skills and capabilities honed in senior leadership roles in Human Resources, Operations, and Strategic Planning. He has a solid reputation for pragmatic high-quality execution. His approach: keep it simple, deliver top-notch results, and build a foundation for future success.
