Embed from Getty Images
The more we hear about Pedro Pascal, the more he seems like an awesome person. He’s gracious, he’s a good ally and he can act. You truly care about his characters on The Last of Us and The Mandalorian, where you can’t even see his face. I’ve been watching The Last of Us and while I know his character likely survives*, it’s stressful seeing the things that Joel and Ellie go through. I’m avoiding spoilers from the video game, but people who played the game have a good idea how it’s going to turn out. Sony, the parent company of Playstation, has an interview with the video game creators, the shows executive producers and stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. My favorite bit was when Pedro explained how he told his sister, who was on bluetooth in her car, that he was in talks for the role and his nephews freaked out and told him he had to get it. The video also features previously aired scenes from the show which mirror the video game. Here’s some of what they said in the interview, and you can watch it below.

Showrunner Craig Manzin on casting Pedro Pascal as Joel
Part of our job as casting is to find people that don’t have to work very hard to embody a character. We knew we wanted somebody that projected a certain kind of strength, that kind of paternal energy, but also, underneath it, a pain. And something in the eyes that was sort of undeniable. That’s an interesting combination of somebody that can do terrible violence, and can go into a red mist, but then also has just such a wellspring of emotion and humanity.

Pascal on telling his sister about the job
It was a fascinating 24 hours. I don’t know if you guys recall. Where we met, talked, and then decided we would be doing this together. And, I called my sister within this short window to tell her about this job that I wanted really badly, and she was in the car driving my nephews to school, and I was on speaker, and I didn’t even know that they were in the car. I was like, ‘I’m having a conversation about this amazing job. It’s based on a video game, actually, and it’s called “The La-.”

And then, Bruno and Pedro were like, “The Last of Us?” You have to get this job! Mommy, pull over!

Neil Druckmann (Co-President of Naughty Dog, video game creator) on fans
I also think that’s why fans are so protective of these characters, because they’ve been those characters.

[From Sony on YouTube]

Can you imagine what a cool uncle he is? He’s on the Mandalorian AND The Last of Us. My son didn’t play that game as he didn’t get a Playstation until later, so I’m not familiar with the story beyond the basics. There are some scenes that come across like a video game, but they’re not distracting. Maybe it’s just hard for me to watch it without applying that filter to it. For what it’s worth, most fans of the game seem to approve of the adaptation and viewers love it and aren’t complaining that it’s adapted from a game. The only thing that bothers me is how brutal it is to supporting characters, the NPCs in the game. The fourth episode was so hard to take and I almost stopped watching. I’m not going to quit this show though, it’s too good and I’m too invested now. The showrunner nailed Pedro’s personality when he said he was looking for someone paternal who has both brutality and vulnerability. Bella Ramsey has those qualities too and you really understand how these characters are so bonded to each other.

Here’s that interview! Warning that both videos below have spoilers for previously aired episodes of The Last of Us.

After I wrote this up, Sony released part two of their Creator to Creator series featuring The Last of Us. I was so pleased to see that they gave Bella Ramsey more space to speak, it seemed like they were talking over her in the first episode. Bella is 19 years old and phenomenally talented. It comes across like showrunner Craig Manzin works hard to create a safe, collaborative set. I especially liked the part where Bella explained that she gives the best performances when she’s not stuck in her own head.

Big fan of this cinematic universe where Pedro Pascal just wanders around collecting random orphans like they're Pokémon. pic.twitter.com/8IH7DEXiYL

— Hannah Shaw-Williams (@HSW3K) March 2, 2023

This beautiful man is out here dressing like a stylish Opa and I love it.
Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

*If you know the outcome from the video game and comment with spoilers, I will ban your ass and you will deserve it.