Emmy Overachiever Pedro Pascal on the Fate of His ‘The Last of Us’ Character, and What It Feels Like to Be a Role Model
Awards Circuit Podcast: Also on this episode, the Roundtable dives into the latest on the SAG-AFTRA strike, and Marc Malkin joins us to discuss what it means for Hollywood events
Pedro Pascal is this year’s Emmy overachiever, receiving three nominations, including one for ‘The Last of Us’ and another as guest host on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ We talk to him about those shows (and “The Mandalorian”) plus how he knows his huge success also comes with the duty to be a bit of a mentor and role model to others, just as he once had. But first, on the Roundtable, Variety’s Marc Malkin joins us for a deep dive into where things stand with the SAG-AFTRA strike, and how it has severely impacted events and so much more. Listen below!
With Emmy nods for best drama series, actor (Pedro Pascal) and actress (Bella Ramsey), among others, HBO’s “The Last of Us” is the first live-action video game adaptation to earn major awards consideration from a top Hollywood awards body, in television or in film. “The Last of Us” earned a total of 24 nominations. (An “Inside the Episode” short about the show was also nominated.)
Pascal, in particular, is on a roll. He is now Emmy nominated this year for lead actor in a drama (“The Last of Us”), guest actor in a comedy (“Saturday Night Live”) and narrator (“Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World”).
Prior to the nominations, and before the SAG-AFTRA strike commenced, Variety’s Clayton Davis spoke with Pascal about “The Last of Us,” “The Mandalorian,” his career at this moment and what it feels like to be a role model to young Latinos, LGBTQ and Hollywood dreamers everywhere who yearn to sit in the same position he finds himself in.
“I want to be able to fulfill the assignment and continue to fulfill the assignment,” Pascal said. “It’s the best part. It’s not necessarily about getting an ‘A’ but understanding someone’s vision and being a scene partner for somebody. If it comes to inspiring somebody else… maybe that’s the component I’m unwilling to recognize. It can make my heart explode a little bit.”
