‘The Last of Us’ Stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey Address Their ‘Awkward’ Age Difference

HBO‘s new series, The Last of Us, is getting rave reviews for its compelling characters and storytelling. The show stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as the lead protagonists. But there is a noticeable age gap between the two actors. In a recent interview, both Pascal and Ramsey opened up about the initial awkwardness they felt. 

‘The Last of Us’ brings beloved video game characters to life 

When it was announced that HBO was adapting Neil Druckmann’s beloved Naughty Dog video game series, The Last of Us, for television, fans were immediately eager to know who would be cast in the two leading roles – Joel and Ellie. Many were thrilled to see The Mandalorian‘s Pedro Pascal and Game of Thrones‘ Bella Ramsey take on the roles. 

But with such high expectations from die-hard fans of the video game, it was inevitable that some criticism would arise following the casting announcement. Some fans of the game had specific ideas of what Joel and Ellie should look like. And there was concern that Pascal and Ramsey would not fit the bill. 

Pascal and Ramsey were determined to make the characters their own, though, and to do the roles justice. Pascal, in particular, was a fan of the game. He had been vocal about wanting to be cast in the show before he was officially announced. Despite the pressure, the two actors were determined to show that they could portray the characters in a way that would please both fans of the game and new viewers alike. 

The actors have certainly done the characters justice. Pascal’s portrayal of Joel, the grizzled and haunted post-apocalyptic survivor, is nuanced and heartbreaking. And Ramsey’s performance captures the spunky and resilient Ellie perfectly. The chemistry between the two actors is palpable and has made for some of the most powerful scenes in the show.

‘The Last of Us’ stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey initially felt awkward about their age difference 

Pascal and Ramsey both starred in Game of Thrones. But because their characters — Oberyn Martell and Lyanna Mormont — were featured in separate seasons, the two never got a chance to meet. 

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Pascal, 47, and Ramsey, 19, revealed that after being cast in The Last of Us, they wondered how their dynamic would work, given their age difference. And it didn’t help that their very first meeting was via a “cringe” sexual harassment Zoom call. 

Pascal noted that at the time, he reached out to Ramsey’s mom first to avoid making it “awkward” when he tried to get in touch. “How am I going to text a 17-year-old?” he recalled thinking. 

Pascal and Ramsey ended up working long hours together through the bitterly cold Canadian winter. And they found that their dynamic wasn’t much different than their characters, Joel and Ellie. 

“Nothing was easy, it was super hard,” Pascal explained. “Long hours, rough material, and we were both scared about meeting people’s expectations.” 

“You know, ‘Will they like me?'” he continued. “Ultimately that fed into the characters because of how grumpy pants Joel is and how ultimately smarter-than-everyone-else Ellie is.”

But ‘The Last of Us’ stars also felt like family because of ‘Game of Thrones’ 

Pascal and Ramsey didn’t meet before The Last of Us. But the two did have Game of Thrones in common.

Talking to EW, the actors noted they both came to The Last of Us with a built-in GoT fan base. And they noted that the connection made them feel like family. 

“I feel like it made us come from a family without knowing each other already,” Pascal said. “To have two characters that the fans liked make their entrance and make their exit is parallel for the both of us and a kind of bonding thing before we even got a chance to bond — I am grateful for that.”

“I don’t think that I’d be an actor if it wasn’t for Game of Thrones, ’cause I never really set out to be [one], and then it sort of happened,” Ramsey added. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. So it set me up and prepared me for The Last of Us, and all my other projects, in ways that I don’t think anything else could.”

New episodes of The Last of Us air Sunday nights on HBO.