Pedro Pascal And Bella Ramsey Formed An Immediate 'Bond' Behind The Scenes Of The Last Of Us
"The Last of Us" is a story almost entirely dependent on how players (and now viewers) empathize with the two leads, Joel and Ellie. With the video game, players would immediately empathize with Joel, thanks to the heartbreaking opening moments. For Ellie, it's the side dialogue, unbridled curiosity about the world before the outbreak, and her need for companionship that gets players in the role of Joel to grow more fond of Ellie. Of course, this is all thanks to the excellent motion capture and vocal performances of Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, whose chemistry elevated the material and made the game such a massive success.
The television adaptation would also have a lot riding on the two actors that would step into the shoes of Joel and Ellie, more so than the game. Since first-time viewers will take a much more passive viewpoint than a video game player, the acting and chemistry are more vital than ever. The father-daughter relationship at the heart of this post-apocalyptic story would be brought to life by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in live-action. Thankfully, the actors formed a bond behind the scenes that would help the adaptation stay more authentic to the source material.
An 'unspoken connection'
In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes TV, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey talked about their first meeting. Although it lasted only a few moments, Ramsey would express how there was an unspoken bond between the two as they were about to become key parts of a large production, that also happens to be one of the most anticipated video game adaptations in recent memory:
"We met for the first time just as I was getting my hair cut, and you'd just come off set. It was a very brief meeting. We didn't have time to get to know each other and – but yeah, the chemistry, it was just immediately this bond, unspoken connection of we're both embarking on this huge journey together as Joel and Ellie, but as two people as well."
As it turns out, the circumstances during the show's production would be similar to Joel and Ellie's story. Ramsey's description of what it was like to be working with Pascal for such a long period suddenly would parallel Joel and Ellie's year-long trip across the country:
"Suddenly, we're spending a year together in Alberta, Canada, not knowing what the hell we're doing, and we're just having to 'trust the process,' but you know what I mean? It really was that."
A first meeting that was 'as casual as could be'
In the same interview, Pedro Pascal addressed the expectations and pressure that came with him and Bella Ramsey portraying these already popular characters. To Pascal, he believed that the only way to not cave in under the weight of expectation was to treat their first meeting as if it were of little importance. As he said, "I guess to avoid the pressure of what it would mean for this to work between the two of us, we were as casual as we could be."
Something that also more likely than not played into the bond between the two actors was how quickly they would be thrown into a physically intense scene after only just meeting, as Pascal would describe:
"You came in to get your hair cut, I was shooting, and then the first time we were together, I was, like, throwing you up against a wall and holding a gun at you. And I'm like, 'Hey, what's up?' You [Ramsey] called me an a****** several times."
Thankfully, the series would strike gold with the chemistry between the two actors, with /Film's review written by Valerie Ettenhofer saying that "Pascal and Ramsey put in excellent, soul-baring work." A combination of understanding the expectations that came with the role and the time the two spent working together on the adaptation has led to a duo that will undoubtedly engross viewers when the show premieres on HBO on Sunday, January 15, 2023.