Here's How HBO's The Last Of Us Actors Compare To Their Video Game Counterparts
Video game adaptations have become more prominent in recent years, though many of these films and series haven't necessarily broken what's known as the "video game movie curse." While some have been financially successful, many adaptations have not been received favorably by critics. Ruben Fleischer's "Uncharted," for example, did not falter at the box office, but was critically panned. As someone who's deeply into the "Uncharted" series of games, I believe the film was sorely missing the hilarious and heartfelt chemistry between the two main protagonists, Nathan Drake and Victor Sullivan. Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg brought the characters to life, but their dynamic and relationship evolution felt far from genuine.
Now along comes "The Last of Us," an HBO adaptation of another Naughty Dog video game that relies even more heavily on the dynamic between its two main characters, Joel and Ellie, portrayed by Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson in the video games. The HBO adaptation cast Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the roles, but how do they stack up to their video game counterparts' legendary and heartbreaking performances? The short answer: Very well.
A more subtle performance for Joel
Series co-creator Neil Druckmann (writer and director of both "Last of Us" video games) always pitched the world and story as entirely hinging on the relationship of a parental figure and a younger female companion, so to say the relationship between Joel and Ellie is essential to the series is an understatement. If the actors didn't click (clicker pun intended), none of the series would work. Thankfully, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey more than rise to the occasion — they make the roles their own in new and exciting ways.
Joel Miller, the character gamers control for most of "The Last of Us Part I," is just as stoic and intimidating in the live-action series thanks to Pascal. Troy Baker's motion capture performance had a lot more physicality than what's been seen of Joel in the first episode of the series, but Pascal manages to convey that same ruthlessness in a much more subtle way. A video game is much more action-driven because of gameplay, making that change understandable. Pascal instead opts for a different form of intimidation in the series that only gets physical when necessary.
The pre-outbreak Joel in the game is not nearly as developed as his live-action counterpart, and Pascal easily slips into that era of Joel's life. At this point, tons of viewers know Pascal as the space dad that is the Mandalorian, so this father figure role is nothing new to the actor. The more time we spend with this version of Joel before it all goes to hell makes what comes after even more heartbreaking. Overall, while this Joel isn't as physical as the constant bare-knuckle fighting Joel of the game (yet), Pascal maintains the same visceral nature of the character in subtle and more intense ways. He's still got that southern accent, too.
A performance that's all the best parts of Ellie
On the other side of "The Last of Us" spectrum is Ellie, a character so integral to the story that even though players didn't control her for most of the first game, she was at the forefront of the first game's cover (which stirred weird and unnecessary controversy). Ellie is a character players grow to love and want to protect in the first game, thanks to her unapologetic nature and innocence and her fascination with how the world was before the outbreak. Bella Ramsey has big shoes to fill; thankfully, the actor personifies Ellie in all the right ways. Ramsey matches that attitude of Ashley Johnson's portrayal and is clearly enjoying the role.
A key difference between the two performances that makes Ramsey more interesting is how much more vocal this version of Ellie is against Pascal's Joel upon their first meeting. Johnson's performance at the beginning of the game is more closed off and apprehensive towards Joel in a more quiet way. With Ramsey in the role, Ellie quickly develops a back-and-forth rapport with Joel, undeterred by the closed-off nature of the smuggler. Ellie's clever and quick on her feet in the first episode of the series, something underplayed in the earlier parts of the game but which audiences can enjoy right off the bat in the pilot episode. Of course, Ramsey's version of the character maintains the same foul-mouthed nature of Johnson's Ellie in the game, somehow coming across as charming while yelling obscenities at Joel. Ramsey is a truly perfect choice to play Ellie.
The road ahead
Overall, if the first episode is any indication, "The Last of Us" is headed in the right direction. While there may be some departures and critical differences from the game's story, all that matters is that audiences become invested in the story of Joel and Ellie's brutal cross-country road trip. Some may argue that accuracy and a 1:1 recreation of a game are essential for an adaptation. However, I'd argue that the character work and themes of the story matter the most. Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal's performances speak to the power of keeping those themes intact but staying loose with everything else. Their new versions of the characters have me, an avid fan of both games, hooked and more than ready to see this relationship blossom again.
There are still so many more facets of their characters to explore on the road ahead. Not even looking any further than the first game, Joel and Ellie have so much more growing to do as they learn more about themselves and each other. The actors seem more than ready, and their versions of the characters in the premiere episode mirror their video game counterparts while also changing things up as needed when moving a story from one medium to another. The performances not only speak to the exciting potential of the HBO series, but could also provide a shining example that future video game adaptations can learn from.