Left to right: Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal reacting to a question. Michelle Obama image on far right.

‘The Last of Us’ IMDb Interview with Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey

When you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light … or for Indiana Jones. Following the successful premiere of HBO’s highly anticipated post-apocalyptic series The Last of Us, starring Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller and Bella Ramsey as Ellie Williams, IMDb have released their interview with the cast and crew, which reveals some fun answers to apocalyptic questions.

Bella Ramsey as Ellie Williams and Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller from The Last of Us stand before a dark wall covered in cordycep fungi. Ellie looks toward the viewer while Joel looks off to the side.
Bella Ramsey as Ellie Williams and Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller, The Last of Us, HBO 2023

Ideal Apocalypse Dream Teams

The cast’s choices range from former First Lady Michelle Obama and fictional archeological adventurer Indiana Jones (Pascal’s picks, of course), to people closer to home, such as Merle Dandridge’s father and Smaranda Luna, Gabriel Luna’s wife. Dandridge plays Marlene, the leader of a resistance movement known as the Fireflies, and returns to The Last of Us after voicing the video game character ten years ago. Luna has already won the hearts of viewers with his portrayal of Uncle Tommy Miller in the show, and he will undoubtedly earn more by choosing his wife as part of his dream team: “Love is an important element when trying to get through times like those … me and her [Smaranda] would be enough.”

Humor in the Dark

Though The Last of Us is a serious show riddled with tension and high stakes, Nico Parker (Sarah Miller), Anna Torv (Tess Servopoulos), Ramsey and Pascal all speak to the lighthearted atmosphere behind the scenes. Between laughing, giggling and making fun of the seriousness of filming, Pascal says “the crew was ready to kill us. Which just made us laugh even more.”

Left to right: Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal during their IMDb interview for The Last of Us
Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, IMDb Interview, 2023

Such humor and familiarity is also present throughout this interview, especially between the two main stars. Pascal and Ramsey give off a natural aura of friendship and closeness when answering questions. It is evident that they genuinely enjoyed their time filming and continue to enjoy being in each other’s company. If the first episode is any indication, this undoubtedly crosses over into their portrayals of Joel and Ellie.

Survival Necessities

Also part of the interview are co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. When asked what a person needs to survive the apocalypse, Mazin and Druckmann give seemingly different, yet quite similar answers. Mazin, truly in keeping with the theme of the show, states that “you need to want to live more than anything … it’s the will that keeps you going.”

Choosing a lighter note, Druckmann says for him, the key to survival is “a joke book, ‘cause you’ve got to keep your humanity.” Players of the game might find the double meaning in his answer, especially when it pertains to Ellie. Maybe we will see this survival tool used in the show as well? Only time will tell.

Unless, of course, your watch is broken.

The Last of Us airs every Sunday at 9pm (ET) / 6pm (PT) on HBO Max.

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