As millions of fans await the second series of The Last Of Us, Pedro Pascal admits he’d be useless in an apocalypse! By Deirdre Reynolds
Apocalypse survivor Pedro Pascal lives to fight another day in the upcoming second season of The Last of Us.
In reality though, the Chilean-American star jokes he wouldn’t have lasted five minutes against the show’s terrifying zombies.
“I would like to think that because of my time on this show, I would do OK but the truth is I don’t think I would cope,” he laughs. “I’m nothing like Joel so I would probably be one of the first not to make it.
“Bella would make it but I have no survival skills at all.”
Based on the best-selling video game of the same name, the hotly-anticipated drama proved an instant hit and turned the 49-year-old into a household name when it premiered on HBO in January 2023.
But its star — who plays father figure to Bella Ramsey’s Ellie in the series which airs here on Sky Atlantic — admits he’d barely heard of the gaming sensation before being cast as Joel Miller.
“I’m not much of a gamer. I played Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man back in the day but that’s about it.
“But my sister’s kids are huge gamers. In fact, when I first happened to mention this job was maybe coming up for me, they got pretty excited.
“They told me in no uncertain terms that I had to do it. I’ve actually played The Last of Us on their console but they always wrestle the controller from my hands out of sheer frustration at how bad I am,” laughs Pedro.
“For me it was the writing, the father-daughter bond between the two characters and how they form this little family amid such adversity. As an actor, you can only dream of scripts as rich as this.”
To say fans are hyped for its return on April 14 would be the understatement of the year. A teaser trailer released at South by Southwest festival at the weekend shattered records with 158 million global views in just three days.
And, while sworn to secrecy, Pedro — who starred opposite Paul Mescal in Gladiator II — shares his delight at getting to work with another part-Irish icon.
“I know I go around kissing a lot of butts, but with Catherine O’Hara I’ve seen her in absolutely everything so for me it was like working with Obama,” laughs Pedro, whose character is seen in therapy to unpack the trauma he has endured in the trailer.
“She is so well known for comedy but I get to do a dramatic scene with her. It’s a bucket list thing for me.
“I can tell you that it’s five years later and Joel and Ellie are in a different place in their relationship,” he adds of the new season. “I don’t want to give away any spoilers but I can say that it’s a very relatable fissure in the relationship between parent and child or between anyone you love.
“There’s a lot of tension and a lot of unravelling of the truth. It’s heartbreaking.
“We all worked so hard for so long on this so it’s amazing to have everyone to be so positive and excited about it. We are so aware of how much this story and this relationship means to people who have played the game and it remains our guide and our bond as these characters this season.”
The actor, who turns 50 next month, was previously best known for meeting an especially grisly end as Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones.
He also played the title role in 2019 Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian on Disney+, who makes the leap to the big screen in The Mandalorian & Grogu next year.
But it’s his reputation as the ultimate ‘Internet Daddy’ that the Texas-raised star is still grappling with.
“I really didn’t [expect it], no,” he says. “As different and in some way similar Mando and Joel are, only now do I see the comparison.
“I don’t have kids of my own so maybe this is me working something out! I don’t know.
“It can get pretty overwhelming if I really think about it but I love the fans,” adds Pedro.
“I love the connection I have with them through these projects and the passion and enthusiasm they have for the material. I’m very grateful to play a part in such huge worlds.”
Pedro joins another major cinematic universe in The Fantastic Four: First Steps this summer.
But as predicted, he’s not allowed to spill the tea about becoming Mister Fantastic in the reboot.
“I’m really trying not to tell anyone anything but I’m pretty bad at it,” he laughs of the 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“I can say that it’s going to be amazing. Don’t ask me anything else!”
