As HBO gears up for the highly anticipated second season of The Last of Us, star Pedro Pascal is opening up about how deeply he connects with his role as Joel, a hardened, post-apocalyptic survivor fiercely protective of those he loves.
Speaking at a recent press conference ahead of the Season 2 premiere on April 13, the 49-year-old actor reflected on the emotional parallels between himself and his onscreen character.
I’m pretty fiercely protective. I’m protective of the people that I love. And I think that’s probably the main component that I relate to.
Pascal shared
In the critically acclaimed series, which adapts the popular video game of the same name, Pascal’s Joel serves as a surrogate father figure to Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, 21. As the duo navigates a world devastated by infection and loss, their bond becomes the emotional heart of the story, a dynamic Pascal says has left a lasting impression on him personally.
It’s this experience, more than any I’ve had. It’s hard for me to separate what the characters are going through and how it makes me feel. In a way that isn’t very healthy. And so, I kind of feel their pain I suppose, so I suppose I was in an unhealthy mindset.
he admitted.
Pascal, who attended the Los Angeles premiere at TCL Chinese Theater on March 24 with the full cast, expressed his excitement for the new season and praised the team behind the series.
I think there’s something that is really exciting about basically giving everyone another season of a show that everyone loved and that everyone has worked so hard on and has put so much into.
he said.
As The Last of Us explores themes of survival, loss, and moral ambiguity under catastrophic circumstances, Pascal believes its storytelling resonates far beyond just entertainment.
I think that storytelling is cathartic in so many ways, always has been. It’s the way that the human beings have made testimony to life. Whether it was, you know, handprints on the walls inside of a cave to, you know, a television show that you can stream on Max starting April 13th.
he said.
The actor also reflected on how stories have shaped his own development over the years.
For me, you know, growing up, I have always — and it’s all my development is based on, you know — books I’ve read, movies I’ve seen, and television that I’ve watched. And so, it’s very much going to reflect the human experience.
Pascal explained.
Under such extreme circumstances, I think that there’s a very kind of, like, healthy and sometimes sick pleasure in that kind of catharsis, in a safe space to, to see human relationships under crisis and in pain and intelligently draw political allegory, societal allegory, and based off of the world that we’re living in, and very beautifully and intelligently.
He added
Season 2 is expected to follow the plot of The Last of Us Part II video game, promising more emotionally charged drama, returning favorites, and exciting new characters—, including the addition of Catherine O’Hara.
Season 2 of The Last of Us premieres April 13 on HBO. Season 1 is available to stream now on Max.
Source: People
