Why it’s hard for Pedro Pascal to separate from his ‘The Last of Us’ character 

LOS ANGELES, USA – She held a mic for him as he answered a question. He often shared a laugh with her.

There’s a genuine friendship between actors Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal. And the screen rapport between Bella, who is 21 but looks 15, and Pedro, who turns 50 on April 2, helped make the first season of The Last of Us such a hit for HBO. 

But in Season 2 of the Emmy-winning drama series, set five years after the events of Season 1, Pedro’s Joel and Bella’s Ellie are embroiled in a conflict.

“We just had to not like each other for a bit,” Bella quipped about their characters in the sophomore season. 

Pedro teased his costar with a grin, “You had to not like me, which came easy.”

The often humorous banter among all the talents during a hybrid press conference — hosted by Jazz Tangcay, Variety’s Filipino-British senior artisans editor — sometimes made The Last of Us seem like a comedy instead of the serious, riveting post-apocalyptic drama that it is.

Pedro Pascal. All stills from HBO

The English actress, who played Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, joked back. “So easy,” she added, “Obviously, a lot has changed over those five years. Ellie was like 14 and now is 19. In any teenager’s life, those are always the formative years. So that definitely informed it.”

“But there are obviously deeper reasons for their little rift. I didn’t enjoy feeling estranged from Pedro in a scene. It wasn’t a nice feeling.”

Pedro stressed, “When the cameras were rolling.”

Bella, smiling as well, cracked, “In real life, we still kind of like each other, just about. And so it was definitely interesting.” Turning to Pedro, she asked him, “What would you say to that?”

The actor, who was also in Game of Thrones (as Oberyn Martell), answered, “On a practical level, on my first day on set, I feel like it was a beautiful set up… that the first thing that I got to shoot was just Bella and me and in an intimate setting.”

“And there’s an incredibly painful distance between the two of them in the scene. But we still got to be on set… laugh and stuff and that was incredibly comforting. That was like coming home.”

Bella Ramsey playfully holds the mic for Pedro Pascal. Photo by Ruben V. Nepales/Rappler

The Mandalorian and Gladiator II star also shared how he approached playing Joel five years later.

“My mindset was grateful to being back, and yet at the same time, it’s this experience, more than any other I’ve had, that is hard for me to separate what the characters are going through and how it makes me feel,” said Pedro.

“In a way, that isn’t very healthy. I kind of feel their pain and so I suppose I was in an unhealthy mindset.”

When Pedro was asked if there’s someone in real life who inspires him in playing his vigilant character, Bella held the mic for her costar as the Chilean-born actor answered, “I do, I draw inspiration from somebody in terms of Joel’s protective nature.”

“I’m protective of the people that I love. That’s probably the main component that I relate to. I’m pretty fiercely protective.”

Pedro and Bella were joined in the media conference by returning cast member Gabriel Luna (Tommy) and new cast members Young Mazino (Jesse), Isabela Merced (Dina),  Kaitlyn Dever (Abbie), and creators, writers, directors, and executive producers Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin.

Kaitlyn Dever

Kaitlyn’s Abbie, based on a pivotal character in the video game on which the series is based, appears at the start of Season 2’s first episode as a soldier on a vengeful mission.

Craig, turning to the actress, said, “Kaitlyn did things that I’m not sure you even should have done. I don’t know how you did them.” 

The creator, also behind the acclaimed Chernobyl, added, “We knew Kaitlyn obviously, as an actor, and what she could do but when you then meet the person, and you’re like, well, what can you actually do? What are you comfortable with? Kaitlyn just would never say no. And it was amazing.”

“And when you see just how physically tremendous her performance is, it’s kind of insane.”

Bella Ramsey and Gabriel Luna

For his part, Gabriel, who plays Joel’s brother, said, it’s “good to be back.” 

“There’s a beautiful infusion of youth, excitement, and energy that they all brought,” he said of the old and new cast members. “So, we’re really excited for everyone to experience what we made.”

“In these five years, his family is growing,” Gabriel said of his character Tommy. “He’s been reunited with his brother. The only real turbulence there is the way that you raise a son and a daughter.”

“It’s just really interesting thing about growing the community — who we let in, how we protect those that we love, how we allow those that we care for and the children that we’re rearing and trying to send them in the right direction,” he added.

He talked some more about his character, a leader in the Firefly rebels’ settlement in Jackson, Wyoming, who is helping raise Ellie. 

“Like, what elements of danger are we allowing them to encounter so that they can develop their skills? As Uncle Tommy to Ellie, I see her capabilities as a warrior.”

“And while Joel would very much like to keep her as close to him and as protected as the uncle, I’m allowed to have a longer leash that can just absolutely be snapped at any moment.”

“You see this growth of their small nuclear family and also his maturity as the leader of the Security Council, and the responsibilities he holds for the safety of the community.”

When Gabriel brought up rehearsing the brothers’ memorable bar scene in the first season as “a very strong bonding element” between his and Pedro’s characters, Craig praised the two actors for respecting the script.

“That was amazing,” Craig said. “You guys and everybody are generally incredibly respectful of the writing we do. But we’re also respectful to you guys.”

Bella Ramsey

About a decade ago, Kaitlyn was also being considered to portray Ellie in a movie adaptation of the video game.

“It was surreal because I have since become such a huge fan of the show,” said Kaitlyn. “I was a fan of the game. It was like a real bonding moment for me and my dad playing it together. And to have it come back around like 10+ years later… I just admired this story so much and what they did.”

The Arizona native added that it was “cool” to finally be part of the show, even for a different character

“And when it did come back around, it felt surreal because it really felt like, things that are meant to be in your life will happen if they’re supposed to. And it just felt right. Abbie felt right. It was very cool,” she said.

The other new cast members are Ariela Barer (Mel), Tati Gabrielle (Nora), Spencer Lord (Owen), and Danny Ramirez (Manny). Also joining the series for the first time are Jeffrey Wright (Isaac) and Catherine O’Hara.

Isabela Merced and Bella Ramsey

In this season’s opener, Isabela, who comes in as Dina, Ellie’s love interest, makes an indelible impression. The actress, only 23 years old, gushed about joining the cast: 

“It was really cool. I just felt like the new kid at school. Dina and I have a lot in common in the sense that I have this random confidence for no reason,” she said.

“I see Dina as an extension of myself. If I were in an apocalyptic situation, I would try to lighten it up a bit. That’s our superpower as humans — we really have the power to shift our perspective and make our own reality.”

“Dina is also Ellie’s compass and light, in a way,” added the actress, who was in Alien: Romulus and will be seen in another franchise coming this July, Superman.

Young Mazino

For Young Mazino, he felt “incredibly fortunate” to get cast in the show’s second season.

“I do remember getting more nervous when I stepped onto set and realizing the sheer scale of the town and seeing the huge gate that they built. That’s when I started to feel a little tripped out,” he said.

The rising Asian-American actor, who bagged an Emmy Best Supporting Actor-Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Beef, also shared that his character Jesse’s “priorities, ideals, and what he cares about all get put to the test.” 

‘The Last of Us’ media conference moderator Jazz Tangcay (left) with creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal. Photo by Ruben V. Nepales/Rappler

Gabriel took the question on whether The Last of Us is an escape from the grim reality of what’s happening in the world or an allegorical call to examine and reflect on the monsters in the times we are in.

“There’s a huge catharsis element to it all,” Gabriel said. “The first season, we made a story about a pandemic, fearing that maybe there’s fatigue, but the experience that everyone had just gave them an entry point to what we were doing.”

“And in the way that Craig and Neil wrote this second season, it’s about conflicts and where do they start? And who started it?”

The Texas-born actor added, “Right now, all over the world, we’re dealing with these conflicts that people are stuck in the wheel of vengeance and can it be broken? Will it be broken? And that’s where we are, so catharsis is a big element to both.” – Rappler.com

The seven-episode new season of ‘The Last of Us’ will debut this April on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.