The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal revealed the aspect of Joel Miller in The Last of Us that scared him the most when playing the character.
"I think what's scary about Joel is that none of us really know what we'd be capable of if faced with the idea of losing love," Pascal told Wired, referring to the character's trauma from losing his daughter. "Whether it's conscious or unconscious, being alive or even being a human being is directly connected to the love you feel. Existing is connected to the love you feel toward a particular relationship—your child, your partner—and to lose that? Some people are not capable of applying rational thought to that kind of loss, or the threat of that loss, or the threat of that loss again, right?"
"That's what makes you human and inhuman," Pascal said about the ability to cope or not cope with loss. "It's such a beautiful question that the video game [the show is based on] poses. I avoid all of it by not having kids. And staying out of relationships." He explained that he is not sure if he will ever want to have children of his own but acknowledged he is close to his nephews: "Only because they were so good at playing The Last of Us. No, I'm just kidding."
He also commented on the fact that he is almost literally "the face of the show" for once, something he was only figuratively in his Star Wars series due to the Mandalorians' strict rules for helmet-wearing. "It's funny when the phrasing 'the face of' comes up because Mando is faceless," he mused. "I haven't thought about it in that way." Besides appearing in The Last of Us this winter, Pascal returns as the titular Mandalorian Din Djarin on Disney+ this spring.
The Last of Us Lands HBO a Huge Bit
So far, The Last of Us seems to be able to beat the video game adaptation curse. It has been a hit with fans and critics alike, giving HBO its second-biggest premiere since 2010 after House of the Dragon. It stars Pascal as a smuggler escorting a teenage girl through a post-apocalyptic world filled with zombie-like antagonists and other dangers. The Last of Us game has often been cited as one of the greatest stories in the medium and praised for its original take on the undead trope and focus on a human story.
The Last of Us is currently streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes airing every Sunday.
Source: Wired