RECENTLY, Pedro Pascal was in a segment of Variety’s Actors on Actors with Steven Yeun and unsurprisingly, he spoke highly of Bella Ramsey. The two are both costars in the critically acclaimed HBO series, The Last of Us, with Pascal playing Joel and Ramsey playing Ellie.
Pascal admitted that at first, he was worried to work with a fresh-faced 19-year-old Ramsey, especially on a project that had a high intensity.
“How scary it was to know that you were going into an experience that was 12 months away from home – with a teenager,” he told Yeun. Pascal also added that it was admittedly quick to see that Ramsey was definitely “cool”.
“I couldn’t have asked for a more anchoring, generous, and thoughtful teenager. And I don’t mean to say that in a patronising way,” Pascal stated. “I relied on Bella for so much of the experience. We were both scared and shy about that, but Bella just inspired me to be mature about it.”
“I really don’t think I’ve met anybody like Bella,” he continued. “They brought the best out of me as a person.” It’s apparent that Pascal and Ramsey both adore each other both onscreen and offscreen and it is rare to have a relationship so genuine, especially in Hollywood.
The Last of Us was a massive success locally and internationally as the premiere episode had a whopping 4.7 million viewers in the United States on its first night of availability, including linear viewers and streams on Max, making it the second-largest debut for HBO since 2010, behind House of the Dragon. The viewers for the following episodes only increased as the series went on.
The series itself is an adaptation of the 2013 Naughty Dog video game of the same name, and it takes place during a post-apocalyptic United States plagued by a fungal infection that causes people to transform into zombie-like creatures. Joel is tasked with escorting Ellie, who is immune, across the country in hopes that she can be the cure. Although they initially get off to a rocky start, the two characters gradually form a close father-daughter-like relationship which drives an ultimatum in the season finale.
The first season of The Last of Us is available to stream on Max, Apple TV and Prime Video.
