Pedro Pascal’s intense leading dad-guy role in HBO’s adaptation ofThe Last of Usseems remarkably similar to his intense leading dad-guy role inThe Mandalorian, and the actor himself has taken note of those shared qualities. The current storytelling obsession with unlikely father figures was bound to snag someone for repeated takes on the idea sooner or later, and Pascal looks to be a quality choice.
While HBO’s series may offer somechanges to Joel fromThe Last of Usvideo game, his core vibe still appears to be intact with Pascal’s live-action interpretation. In an unforgiving world, he’s just trying to make his way after a rather unpleasant history. But his plans for simple survival are upended when he’s charged with the care of a child whose importance is greater than anything he could have expected. But enough aboutThe Mandalorian. This is aboutThe Last of Us. Or is it?
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In a recent interview withCollider, Pascal andThe Last of Uscostar Bella Ramsey (Ellie) discussed their characters and dynamic together as the show’s two leads. But first, the interviewer brought up an interesting connection between Joel and Pascal’s titular character Din Djarin fromThe Mandalorian, a shared archetype that Pascal seemed to see quite clearly. “They’re both very, very grumpy, aren’t they?” he replied, musing on the concept. “And they’re reluctant, hardened figures under their own different forms of armor. The more I talk, the less difference there is between them.”
Pascal continued, going deeper into his view of Joel and how the character is shaped byhis little moments with Ellie. “I think that for someone like Joel, there’s such a rich source material to be researched there. And also, what it could be, more than anything, is in the experience of playing a full realization of this type of character, where the emotional richness of this experience of a hardened human becoming human again, through the experience of a relationship, can expand itself to so many different types of storytelling,” he said. “I don’t know, necessarily, how to identify what’s different about it, outside of how rich it was to play Joel and to know that everything about him hinged directly to his relationship to Ellie.”
Ramsey and Pascal developed a friendship similar to Joel and Ellieon set, further deepening the bond that audiences experience while watchingThe Last of Us. While the same can’t exactly be said for Pascal and the puppet that portrayed little Grogu onThe Mandalorian, there’s certainly something to be said for how characters like Joel and Din become defined by their relationships. Gruff father figures like that are sort of “in” right now, which is probably why there are so many similarities between Joel and Kratos from theGod of Wargames.
If nothing else, this comparison between Joel and Din may be an excellent way for viewers unfamiliar withThe Last of Usto ease their way into understanding the character.The Mandalorianshowed how far someone might go to protect who or what they love. Meanwhile,The Last of Ustakes that to some dark extremes. The former can certainly help one understand the latter.
The Last of Usairs Sundays on HBO and HBO Max starting January 15th, 2023.
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