The Last of Us, an HBO series that is based on the original game of the same name that was released in 2013 and had a sequel in 2020, is immensely popular and liked equally by gamers and critics. Video game adaptations can be dangerous since they get pointed out over every detail, especially the casting. Fans of the shows express their opinions openly about every aspect of the show.
Pedro Pascal, the actor who played a major role in popular TV series such as Game of Thrones, and Narcos, became one of the best actors in Hollywood. However, fans recognize him from his lead role in the Star Wars series, The Mandalorian. However, he admits that his role as Joel in The Last of Us was challenging as he did not want to ‘imitate’ the fictional character.
Why was Pedro Pascal Afraid To Take on The Role?
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey who appeared on Entertainment Tonight shared their experience in portraying their roles as Ellie and Joel in The Last of Us. The stars of the show talked about their time in Game of Thrones, and they revealed how the creators of the show strictly ordered them not to linger around the game, but they disobeyed their orders to do some “research” on their roles. Here’s what Pedro Pascal had to say:
“It became very, very clear very quickly how much people loved the game and the experience of playing the game. That was scary because you can get really into a book. You can get really into a series. And this is the next level of getting into an immersive experience of playing these characters. So people’s relationship to that experience is a deep one, and we want to kind of expand on that, meet expectations, surpass expectations, learn something new, show something new, and also honour what is originally there. And we’re exhausted.”
In spite of the fans of the show criticized Pedro Pascal for his role, and some even criticized him for intricate details like not having a beard like Joel in the video game. However, people tend to accept his role in The Last of Us as he managed to mesmerize the viewers with his spot-on acting, including the minor details of the character.
Was Not Playing The Game a Good Idea?
Pedro Pascal was not worried about playing the role in the series and in an interview with GQ magazine, he revealed that not playing the game too much was a great idea, as he did not want to imitate Joel too much from the game. Despite finding the game visually impressive, he decided to leave the game behind. Here’s what he told GQ magazine:
“I got worried that I would want to imitate too much, which I think could be right in some circumstances, and then a mistake in others. I just wanted to create a healthy distance, and for that to be more in the hands of Craig Mazin and [game writer and show co-writer] Neil Druckmann.”
Watching the immense popularity of the show, making it one of the best video game adaptation series, considering how this idea can fail to live up to the expectation of the viewers and the fans of the game. But it is safe to say for Pedro Pascal that he lived up to the expectations of the game, making The Last of Us, one of the highest-rated series on IMDB.
The show is streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Entertainment Tonight
