The Last of Us Season 2: Pedro Pascal on Joel & Ellie’s ‘Painful Distance’

by

As a gamer immersed in the world of “The Last of Us,” I can tell you that when Season 2 kicks off, there’s an excruciating gap between Joel and Ellie – a fact confirmed by Pedro Pascal himself.

What did Pedro Pascal say about Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us Season 2?

In the finale of The Last of Us Season 1, Joel and Ellie drifted apart over the course of the five-year gap leading to Season 2. At a press event hosted by Variety, Pascal reminisced about his initial day of filming Season 2 alongside Bella Ramsey.

In a conversational tone, “Craig [Mazin] and Neil [Druckmann] did a wonderful job setting up the scene where I shot you first in a very personal environment,” Pascal explained. “There’s a deep sense of sorrow between the characters, yet we managed to find moments of humor while filming. This made the whole experience feel like coming back home.

At the start of Season 2, Joel bears a heavy burden of sorrow, particularly in his interactions with Ellie. Joel had deceived Ellie about the Fireflies, telling her that they couldn’t find a cure for her infection. However, before the Fireflies could perform surgery on Ellie’s brain, Joel had already taken matters into his own hands and killed them.

In simpler terms, it might be challenging for Pascal to reprise his role as Joel because of the heavy emotional burden associated with playing that character.

Pascal expressed appreciation to be back, yet he found himself struggling to distinguish his own emotions from those of the characters,” he admitted. “It’s an experience unlike any other I’ve had, and it’s affecting me in a way that feels unhealthy. In essence, I can’t help but feel their pain.

Pascal laughed, adding, “I suppose I was in an unhealthy mindset.”

The Last of Us Season 2 premieres April 13 on HBO and streams on Max.

Read More

2025-03-25 17:10