The Last of Us takes off 20 years after the destruction of the world, Joel a hardened survivor is enlisted with the task to smuggle a 14-year-old Ellie who might be the cure to fungi. She could be the weapon that could free the world from the clutches of fungi that rots the brain and turns humans into a monster.
The show is the first successful adaptation of a game, this in itself is a massive achievement for the show. However The Last of Us went a step further, it is also one of the best shows produced. The ratings and views can easily give legendary shows like Game of Thrones, Succession, etc a run for their money.
Pedro Pascal gets paid $5 Million more than Bella Ramsey
At the heart of this show is the dashing, kind, loving, strong, witty Pedro Pascal. The man is not mortal, with his acting skills and attractive personality he has wooed us all. Pascal is not just talented but has shown his support towards the LGBTQ community, The Mandalorian star is aware and woke enough to surf through the treacherous waters of cancel culture. Or is he?
A recent report by Variety reveals a huge pay gap between Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. The reports state that the Game of Thrones actor gets paid, $600,000 per episode whereas his younger co-star gets only $70,000.
Conversations of increasing pay parity have been around for quite some time, considering it is 2023 this lack of parity seems absurd and outright, disrespectful towards Ramsey’s efforts. It also throws light on the producers among others who have agreed to such a huge gap between salaries when both of them lead the show, together
Fans throw Gender-pay gap accusations
It is not a far-fetched accusation as people of different genders are involved, and the one getting less paid is female. As soon Variety’s reports saw the light of day fans began to hurl accusations of the gender pay gap at the show. They were shocked at the numbers
Misogyny at its finest..
— ✰ (@priahx) April 6, 2023
Get a better agent
— Eric Edholm (@Eric_Edholm) April 7, 2023
If that's the real gap it is pretty vast, Bella was also a big name on GOT a hugely popular character. I think he should get more he probably brought his experience to every scene, but Bella did an amazing job also. I guess Bella was more interchangeable than Pedro at casting.
— Michelle (@chele6) April 7, 2023
I do think she should be paid a lot more next season but to be fair he is a veteran actor who has a lot more experience and she is just getting her breakthrough😭
— Sam (@adeleisnumber1) April 6, 2023
Pay people the same money for the same work? To everyone arguing Pedro is more established, would you want your (male) coworker who has worked at the company 30 years longer but does the same work as you to be paid more? No? That‘s what we call gender pay gap
— bonnie 🍬 (@benitabono) April 6, 2023
As one begins to hurl such accusations maybe instead of jumping on the trend we should take a minute and think about the practical aspect. Pedro Pascal is a seasoned actor, who has been in the industry for more than 20 years and has been a part of hugely successful shows like The Mandalorian, Narcos, and Game of Thrones among others.
Although not any less talented, Bella Ramsey has not been around for as long as Pascal. Her acting credentials are nowhere near Pascal and are relatively new to show biz. So it is a fair possibility that the pay gap is reflective of experience and reliability instead of gender.
The Last of Us is streaming on HBO Max.
Source- Variety