‘Uncharted’ director breaks down the film’s surprise cameo

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Uncharted.

While the critical consensus seems to indicate that Uncharted generally fails to capture the spirit of the games on which it’s based, director Ruben Fleischer still incorporated a ton of references and Easter Eggs for fans of Naughty Dog’s video game series.

Spoilers to follow.

One of these callback moments was a cameo from Nolan North, the voice behind Nathan Drake in the Uncharted tetralogy. The renowned voice actor, is known for his prolific work in the video game industry on games like Destiny 2 and The Last of Us. North appears in a sequence as a hotel guest, and though the cameo is all too brief, fans will have no problem recognizing the star and his iconic voice.

In a recent chat with Screen Rant, Fleischer discussed why that appearance was one of the film’s most important moments, despite its narrative insignificance.

“Like I said, we really wanted to honor the game for fans and provide fans of Uncharted a unique experience that was distinctive from the video game experience but also honored it. So including Nolan North, who’s the kind of figurehead of the Uncharted franchise, in the movie was really exciting for us and you couldn’t ask for a better partner.”

The filmmaker further talked about Tom Holland’s connection with Nolan North and the fandom’s reception to the wholesome cameo, noting:

“He was so amazing on set. He and Tom had a great repartee and dynamic, and I think it’s a really memorable moment. I had the pleasure of watching it in the theater with a test audience and the kid behind me, when he saw Nolan, he elbowed his friend and was like, ‘Oh my God! That’s the guy that does the voice for the games!’ and totally caught the reference and caught the Easter egg. I was so satisfied and proud, honestly, at that moment, that fans would really appreciate seeing him in the movie.”

There’s an amicable joke within the gaming community that between the two of them, Nolan North and Troy Baker have monopolized the voice acting business in the entertainment industry, which speaks volumes about the former’s numerous contributions to projects of all shapes and sizes. In a career that spans more than three decades, it’s great to see audiences still celebrating Nolan’s portrayal of Nate after all these years.