Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey discuss the painful rift between their characters in The Last of Us season 2. Adapted from the popular video game franchise of the same name, season 1 explored the relationship between Joel (Pascal) and Ellie (Ramsey) in a post-apocalyptic world. Despite the strength of the bond that developed between the two characters, their relationship is forever changed after The Last of Us season 1 ending, which sees Joel killing all the Fireflies to save Ellie, only to lie to her about what really happened.
During a press conference for The Last of Us season 2 attended by ScreenRant, Pascal and Ramsey explain why a rift forms between Joel and Ellie, along with addressing the challenges of depicting this new dynamic. Ramsey explains that part of the rift is due to Ellie being five years older and at a different stage in her life, but that there are “deeper reasons for their little rift” as well. The actors also discuss how being happy to reunite in real life made it more difficult to portray the tension between Joel and Ellie. Check out their comments below:
Bella Ramsey: We just had to not like each other for a bit.
Pedro Pascal: You had to not like me, which came easy.
Ramsey: So easy. Yes, obviously a lot has changed over those five years. Ellie was 14 and now is 19. I think, in any teenager’s life, that’s always the formative years, so that definitely informed it. But there’s obviously deeper reasons for their little rift. I didn’t enjoy feeling estranged from Pedro within a scene. It wasn’t a nice feeling.
Pascal: When the cameras were rolling.
Ramsey: When the cameras were rolling. In real life, we still kind of like each other, just about. It was definitely interesting.
Pascal: On a practical level, my first day on set, I feel like it was a beautiful set up by Craig and Neil that the first thing that I got to shoot anyway was just [Bella] and I and in kind of an intimate setting. And there’s an incredibly painful distance between the two of them in the playing of the scene, but we still got to be on set and f–k around and laugh and stuff like that, and that was incredibly comforting. That was like coming home.
My mindset was grateful to be back. And yet at the same time, it’s this experience, more than any other I’ve had, that is hard for me to separate what the characters are going through and how it makes me feel. In a way that isn’t very healthy. And so, I kind of feel their pain and I suppose I was in an unhealthy mindset.
What This Means For The Last Of Us Season 2
Joel & Ellie’s Relationship Will Look Different
While the estranged dynamics between Joel and Ellie will feel new, Pascal and Ramsey’s comments highlight how their characters’ relationship will still be at the heart of The Last of Us season 2’s story. There is no shortage of post-apocalyptic stories, but it is the emotional development of Joel and Ellie’s relationship that helps The Last of Us stand out from other tales in the same genre. Their relationship will look different in season 2 due to the natural passage of time and because of the lies Joel told Ellie.
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Ellie will inevitably learn the truth at a certain point in season 2, causing a confrontation that will further challenge her relationship with Joel. This character drama will fuel an integral piece of the new season’s conflict and is poised to be even more compelling than the new variants of the infected that will be introduced. The introduction of Kaitlyn Dever’s character, Abby, and the impact she has on Joel and Ellie will further complicate the story as well.
Season 2 Will Be Deeply Emotional
Pascal and Ramsey’s comments make me equally eager and anxious for season 2. After a two-year hiatus, I am looking forward to seeing Joel and Ellie again, but I am dreading the emotional shift in their relationship. Pascal and Ramsey proved in season 1 that they were the perfect casting choices for these characters, and despite the dark places they will have to take Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us season 2, I am confident that their performances will do the story justice.
8/10
- Release Date
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January 15, 2023
- Network
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HBO Max
- Showrunner
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Craig Mazin
- Directors
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Craig Mazin
- Writers
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Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin
