Gabriel Luna makes physical competence look ordinary, which is harder than it sounds. We value him most when that assurance comes with warmth, as Tommy Miller in The Last of Us, where being capable does not mean being cold.
Fi1m perspective
Gabriel Luna plays Tommy Miller in the first series of The Last of Us (2023) as someone who still knows how to be a brother. Alongside Pedro Pascal as Joel, he makes the family connection matter in a series full of threats to it. We were moved by Tommy's warmth; Luna makes his humanity as persuasive as his physical competence. We rate the first series highly, with a reservation about how little space it allows some supporting characters. Luna is one reason to wish it had more time to spare.
His first major television lead, Matador (2014), cast him as Tony Bravo, an undercover agent posing as a footballer. His 2016–2017 run on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. brought Robbie Reyes, or Ghost Rider, whose family loyalty accompanied the supernatural business. Then Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) put his physical precision to work as the Rev-9, an antagonist capable of charm. These parts have different demands, but each benefits from an actor who can make the physical work look familiar rather than newly learnt.
Weapons handling, combat choreography and precise movement are recurring features of Luna's preparation for action roles. With Tommy, he also draws on his Austin upbringing to inform the character's regional mannerisms. The result works beside Pascal: we believe that these men have known each other for years, rather than merely accepting that the script says they are brothers. That familiarity gives Luna something to contribute beyond being useful in a dangerous situation. His warmth is worth making room for, particularly in a programme where the practical business of survival could so easily occupy everyone.
Our caveat concerns opportunity as much as ability. The first series of The Last of Us is patient horror-drama, but its supporting cast does not always get enough room. Luna became a series regular from the second series; our enthusiasm here rests on his smaller part in the first. Start with Tommy, with the warning that the programme has plenty of other people it wants to spend time with.
Biography
Gabriel Luna is an American actor and producer. He was born on 5 December 1982 in Austin, Texas, and graduated with a BFA from St. Edward's University in 2005.
He began his career in theatre as a founding member of the Austin-based Paper Chairs Theatre Company and made his screen debut in 2005. Luna is known for his roles as Robbie Reyes / Ghost Rider in the series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2016–2017), Rev-9 in the film Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), and Tommy Miller in the HBO series The Last of Us (2023–present). He has also appeared in films including Bernie (2011) and Freeheld (2015).
Luna has been married to actress Smaranda Luna since 2011.
