Pedro Pascal, who is set to star in HBO's upcoming TV adaptation of The Last of Us, has admitted that he wasn't very good at playing the original video game. Set in a post-apocalyptic United States after the outbreak of a mutant fungus, the series follows Joel (Pascal), a smuggler who is tasked with transporting teenager Ellie (Bella Ramsey) to the militant revolutionary group known as "The Fireflies" in the hope of developing a cure from her natural immunity. During their arduous journey, the pair are forced to fend-off against zombie creatures known as "the infected," as well as other human survivors. Developed and written by Emmy Award-winner Craig Mazin and the original game's writer Neil Druckmann, HBO's The Last of Us release date is set for 2023 and marks the network's first series to be based on a video game.
Originally released in 2013, The Last of Us received universal acclaim upon its launch and is widely considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time. As such, development on an adaptation of Joel and Ellie's adventure began in earnest after the game's release, with a feature film and then an animated short film being worked on, before both were eventually scrapped. The idea was eventually adopted by HBO in 2020 as a 10-part TV series, with filming commencing in July 2021 and set to conclude in June 2022. As shooting on the series has progressed, a number of teasers and behind-the-scenes snaps have been revealed, including a first look at Pascal's Joel and Ramsey's Ellie.
However, despite starring in an adaptation of one of the most revered video games of all time, Pascal has revealed that he simply wasn't very good at playing The Last of Us when he finally got around to picking up a controller. When the inevitable subject of the series came up in an interview with GQ, the actor admitted that, soon after starting play, he had to "hand [the game] over to [his] nephew." The actor said his skills simply weren't up to scratch.
"It’s so sad, I haven’t any skill. I tried, you know. And then it was only a matter of minutes before I had to hand it over to my nephew. It really takes a specific kind of skill, and I don’t have it."
HBO's The Last of Us is just the latest venture in the growing popularity of video game adaptations. Paramount+'s Halo series recently premiered after the franchise spent years in development limbo on a big/small screen interpretation, while Sonic the Hedgehog 2's box office success has proven that there is very much a profitable market to be found within the sub-genre. And while Pascal admits that his prowess in playing the source material leaves much to be desired, the actor has shown that he is very familiar with The Last of Us, having also commented on the faithfulness and accuracy of the series in relation to the original game.
It might be that Pascal's admittance proves to be something of a reassurance for some. His claim that the game requires "a specific kind of skill" that he doesn't have showcases the need for a TV adaptation of The Last of Us, as there will no doubt be many who are keen to experience Joel and Ellie's story for themselves, but who also lack the particular skill set that the game demands. Regardless, it's likely that most devotees of the franchise are more interested in seeing how well Pascal portrays Joel in character when The Last of Us finally releases, as opposed to how he fares in the actual game itself.
Source: GQ