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The Last of Us, an American post-apocalyptic drama television series for HBO based on the video game franchise, focuses on the relationship between Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey). The first season, based on the 2013 game, is set in 2023, twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapses society. Joel, a smuggler, is tasked with escorting the immune teenager Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States.
Before and during their journey, Joel and Ellie meet several other characters portrayed by various guest stars, including Nico Parker as Joel's daughter Sarah, Merle Dandridge as resistance leader Marlene, Anna Torv as Joel's partner Tess, Gabriel Luna as Joel's brother Tommy, Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Montreal Woodard as brothers Henry and Sam, and Melanie Lynskey and Jeffrey Pierce as resistance leader Kathleen and her second-in-command Perry. The second season is expected to adapt the 2020 sequel, partly following Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).
Series creators and writers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann felt the television medium allowed an opportunity to explore characters' backstories further than the games, which Druckmann wrote and co-directed. Casting took place virtually through Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with several high-profile guest stars cast for singular or few episodes. Pascal and Ramsey were cast for their abilities to embody the characters and imitate their relationship. The performances of the main and guest cast throughout the series received critical acclaim and awards.
Conception and casting
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The Last of Us is written by series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann; the latter wrote and co-directed the video games on which the series is based.[1] Unlike creating the games, Druckmann felt he was able to "unplug" from the characters when writing the show due to the immersive nature of video games.[2] The writers found the series an opportunity to delve into backstories of characters who the game otherwise ignored, wanting to better understand their motivations.[3]
Druckmann was open to changing any aspects of the games but always wanted a strong reason,[4] ensuring he and Mazin considered the impacts on events later in the narrative.[5] They avoided making "a zombie show",[6] acknowledging the infected creatures were ultimately a vessel through which the characters are pressured to make interesting decisions and reveal their true selves.[7]
Casting for the first season took place virtually through Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] Casting director Victoria Thomas wanted to honor the game without being limited by it.[8] Mazin and Thomas sought high-profile guest stars; Thomas said many of the actors "don't usually do one-episode guest spots".[9] The producers primarily sought actors who could embody Joel and Ellie individually as well as imitate their relationship.[10]: 14:42
Casting for the second season was put on hold in May 2023 due to the Writers Guild of America strike; actors had been auditioning with scenes from The Last of Us Part II (2020) due to an absence of scripts.[11]
Overview
| Character | Portrayed by | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | Season 2 | ||
| Main characters | |||
| Joel | Pedro Pascal | Main[12] | |
| Ellie | Bella Ramsey | Main[12] | |
| Guest characters | |||
| Sarah | Nico Parker | Guest | |
| Marlene | Merle Dandridge | Guest | |
| Tess | Anna Torv | Guest | |
| Tommy | Gabriel Luna | Guest | TBA |
| Ratna | Christine Hakim | Guest | |
| Bill | Nick Offerman | Guest | |
| Frank | Murray Bartlett | Guest | |
| Henry | Lamar Johnson | Guest | |
| Sam | Keivonn Montreal Woodard | Guest | |
| Kathleen | Melanie Lynskey | Guest | |
| Perry | Jeffrey Pierce | Guest | |
| Maria | Rutina Wesley | Guest | TBA |
| Marlon | Graham Greene | Guest | |
| Florence | Elaine Miles | Guest | |
| Riley | Storm Reid | Guest | |
| David | Scott Shepherd | Guest | |
| James | Troy Baker | Guest | |
| Anna | Ashley Johnson | Guest | |
| Season 2 | |||
| Abby | Kaitlyn Dever | TBA | |
| Jesse | Young Mazino | ||
| Dina | Isabela Merced | ||
| Manny | Danny Ramirez | ||
| Mel | Ariela Barer | ||
| Nora | Tati Gabrielle | ||
| Owen | Spencer Lord | ||
| Isaac | Jeffrey Wright | ||
Main characters
Joel
Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) is a hardened middle-aged survivor who is tormented by the trauma of his past.[13][14] He is tasked with smuggling a young girl, Ellie, out of a quarantine zone and across the United States.[13] Unlike in the games, which required Joel (as the player character) to perform near-superhuman actions for the player to progress, he is more vulnerable in the series—he is hard of hearing in one ear due to a gunshot and his knees ache when he stands.[2]
Pascal's casting was announced on February 10, 2021.[13] Earlier that day, it was reported Mahershala Ali was offered the role of Joel after Matthew McConaughey turned it down;[15] The Hollywood Reporter noted Ali "did circle a role" in the show, but a deal was never formed.[16] Pascal became available for a new series after the release of the second season of The Mandalorian, attracting several offers for projects from large networks, of which he chose The Last of Us,[13] partly to work with Mazin.[14] Mazin and Druckmann had been considering Pascal for some time. He accepted the role within 24 hours;[17] The Mandalorian producers gave Pascal permission to work on the series.[18] He is reportedly earning US$600,000 per episode, making him one of the highest-paid American television stars.[19]
Pascal was chosen for his ability to portray a tough, tortured, and vulnerable character who suppresses his emotions until necessary.[7] A non-gamer, Pascal watched his nephew play the beginning of the first game because he lacked the skill to play it himself; he found Joel to be "so impressive" but was concerned about imitating the games too closely, instead choosing to "create a healthy distance" and allow the showrunners to decide the characterization.[20] Pascal based Joel's voice on his own experiences growing up in San Antonio, Texas, paring it back from the Southern accent used in the game.[21]
Empire's John Nugent and /Film's Valerie Ettenhofer referred to Pascal's performance as the best of his career, citing his ability to portray nuance and rare vulnerability.[22][23] TechRadar's Axel Metz described him as the "perfect real-world manifestation" of Joel.[24] GameSpot's Mark Delaney said Pascal's performance in the first episode made him cry twice and lauded his ability to portray different sides of Joel;[25] Push Square's Aaron Bayne found Pascal's performance reflected Joel's torment without speaking,[26] In the fourth episode, The A.V. Club's David Cote enjoyed Pascal's warmth and humor, particularly in scenes in which he explains teaches Ellie,[27] Den of Geek's Bernard Boo considered the sixth episode among the best performances of Pascal's career;[28] TVLine named Pascal the Performer of the Week, citing his emotions and physicality,[29] and Push Square's Bayne opined he balanced "the stoic masculinity with tender vulnerability".[30] Several reviewers lauded Pascal's range of demonstrating terror, fragility, and rage in the ninth episode.[31][32][33] For his role, Pascal won Best Hero at the MTV Movie & TV Awards,[34] and was nominated at several ceremonies,[35][36][37] including the Primetime Emmy Awards[38] and Golden Globe Awards.[39]
Ellie
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Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is a 14-year-old girl who displays much defiance and anger but has a private need for kinship and belonging.[16] She has not lost her playfulness, bonding easily with children, and has a fondness for puns.[40][41] She is immune to the Cordyceps infection and may be the key to creating a vaccine.[16] In keeping with the games, she is a lesbian.[42]
Ramsey's casting was announced on February 10, 2021.[16] Any actors considered for Ellie for the canceled film adaptation—such as Maisie Williams and Kaitlyn Dever—had aged out of consideration by the time the series was in production, resulting in a reset of candidates.[18] Around 105 actors had been considered;[17] the producers sought a performer who could portray a resourceful, quirky, and potentially violent character.[7] After watching Ramsey's audition tape, they spoke to David Benioff and D. B. Weiss—showrunners of Game of Thrones, in which Ramsey had a recurring role—who assured them of their talent. Ramsey secured the role less than a month after their audition.[18]
Ramsey received news of their casting during production on a different project. They said the show feels "like the biggest thing ever done"[43] and was immediately comforted Pascal would perform alongside them for the entire experience.[44] Ramsey was aware of the game before their audition,[45] but was encouraged not to play it to avoid replicating the original performance, instead watching some gameplay on YouTube to "get a sense of it";[46] they still had not played it after filming the series.[47] Ramsey wanted their performance to be reminiscent of the games without copying them.[48] Ramsey, who is English, learned an American accent for the role,[49] and had to cut off over 15 inches of hair.[45] They wore a chest binder for 90 percent of production for better focus on set.[50]
Kotaku Australia's David Smith called Ramsey "perhaps the pilot's greatest triumph", especially in their scenes with Pascal.[51] By the fourth episode, Push Square's Bayne felt Ramsey's performance would win over viewers who doubted their casting, lauding their portrayal of both trauma and humor.[52] The Washington Post's Gene Park similarly wrote the episode was "Ramsey's time to flex those muscles" of humor.[53] In the fifth episode, Den of Geek's Bernard Boo called Ramsey's reaction to Henry's death "utterly heartbreaking",[54] and Total Film's Bradley Russell found their performance worthy of awards consideration.[55] Boo thought the sixth episode featured "possibly the best performances of career".[28] io9's Germain Lussier felt Ramsey's performance shone in Ellie and Joel's confrontation,[56] and IGN's Simon Cardy praised their continued ability to switch between emotion and comedy.[57]
Bleeding Cool's Tom Chang called Ramsey's performance in the seventh episode "award-worthy" and their strongest to date.[58] In the eighth episode, Den of Geek's Boo lauded Ramsey's ability to portray toughness while maintaining vulnerability,[59] and The Washington Post's Park wrote their performance "should finally erase" any remaining doubts of their ability.[60] The New York Times's Noel Murray commended Ramsey's unique portrayal of Ellie's emotional shutdown in the ninth episode, noting she "is clearly lost in her own thoughts, but she is never entirely unresponsive".[61] The A.V. Club's David Cote enjoyed Ramsey's touching final speech,[62] and The Atlantic's David Sims called them "dead on in conveying Ellie's suspicion" in the final scenes.[33] For their role, Ramsey received several nominations,[35][63][64] including at the Primetime Emmy Awards[65] and Golden Globes.[39]