When a popular story from a book, comic or video game is to be adapted into a film or series, it is a particular challenge for those responsible for such an adaptation to find suitable actors and actresses for the characters who are also their role models. fair.
Appropriate casting decisions are then often viewed with skepticism by the existing crowd of fans, as is the case with “The Last Of Us”, where the two “Game Of Thrones” veterans Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey now play Joel and Ellie who play the post-apocalypse. defeat . Visually, the duo may not quite match their digital counterparts, but with the series’ recent start, the two taught the majority of doubters a lesson.
Not only did Pascal and Ramsey prove to be lucky hits for the roles themselves, but above all, they also bring the necessary chemistry with each other to bring the essential relationship between their characters to life. It’s also lucky that it’s even behind the scenes, at least there was some concern about signing Pedro Pascal. And that wasn’t because of the actor’s busy schedule, but because of another big series role that had certain parallels with Joel…
Too similar to “The Mandalorian”?
For a great background report of the on “The Last Of Us,” Pedro Pascal revealed to the trade magazine that he was eager to play Joel as soon as he received the script. Playing a fighter protecting a protégé as he travels through a dangerous fantasy landscape in a prestigious series sounded very tempting. The only possible catch was that that’s actually what he was already doing, which is in “The Mandalorian“.
As the eponymous Mandalorian Din Djarin in the “Star Wars” series, Pascal cares selflessly for the cuddly Grogu, who lurks with all sorts of dangers in the galaxy far, far away. The comparison between the two series was certainly a topic of discussion in the preparation of The Last Of Us, as both Pascal and showrunner Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”) talked about explained.
“The Last Of Us” Isn’t The Same As “The Mandalorian”
However, it was ultimately concluded that the two projects and Pedro Pascal’s roles in them were sufficiently different, despite superficial similarities., not least because the interaction between a stupid crook and a meaningless teenager is very different. The decision for Pascal also benefited from the fact that in “The Mandalorian” he almost exclusively wears a helmet, so his face is rarely seen.
Pedro Pascal himself admitted in the conversation Also keep in mind that the premise of a protector and protege growing together in the face of challenges is generally very popular and has been used in many different ways. Being involved in two projects at the same time, which makes exactly that so different, is therefore not an obstacle: “For me, it is the best duplication that I can only imagine,” says Pascal.
Permission from the creators of The Mandalorian
In the end, both the creators of “Last Of Us” and Pedro Pascal saw no problem in his casting. However, the actor also had to get permission from the Mandalorian producers, who said they were “very generous” in allowing him to be part of a rival company’s project. (“The Mandalorian” is from Disney, “The Last Of Us” is from HBO, owned by Warner).
In the end, it had to be achieved to reconcile the two main roles in the series. However, it should have helped again that in the case of “The Mandalorian” someone can (unnoticed by the audience) on set fill in for Pascal and slip into the Mando armor in his place (and this is often the case for stunt scenes) . anyway). After all, he can still record the dialogues afterwards.
It’s a win-win situation for Pedro Pascal fans anyway, you can look forward to two big current series with the 47-year-old, the consequences of which even overlap a bit this year. The finale of the first season of “The Last Of Us” will be released in Germany on March 13, 2023 on the Sky streaming service WOW, the third season “The Mandalorian” meanwhile, begins on March 1 on Disney+.
But first, let’s move on to the second “Last Of Us” episode, which will make its way to WOW on the morning of January 23rd.