Troy Baker, the man who plays Joel in The Last of Us: Part II, says that players have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming narrative in the game. Above all else, he thinks that players will need to dive into this story with an open mind, especially when it comes to the reality of Joel’s character as they learn more about who he was before the events of the first game, and throughout this sequel.
Speaking about the development of Joel, Baker says, “What we've done such a good job of doing [in The Last of Us 2], is to continue to peel back layers and learn more about him. I even learned more about Joel and I’m the guy that walked into [the Last of Us audition] and said, 'I know the truth about Joel!' I knew his truth back then, but [after The Last of Us 2], I know even more of [Joel's] truth."
Baker was obviously unable to elaborate on exactly what he learned about Joel, but the second game is clearly looking to progress his character far more than in the first game. This is probably going to be easier to do in terms of gameplay since Ellie will be the principle character that is controlled, and players will be able to look at Joel from an external position to gauge what he has had to do to survive all these years.
Of course, since the game has been indefinitely delayed, it might be some time before anyone learns the truth!
Source: GameSpot