Pedro Pascal is the perfect choice to play Joel in HBO's new television adaptation of The Last of Us, and he proved it with his role on The Mandalorian. Released in 2013 by Sony Computer Entertainment and created by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us is a horror-adventure-survivalist video game set 20 years after a devastating fungal outbreak that has infected more than half of the world's population. The video game is receiving the live-action treatment in the form of a Pedro Pascal zombie show on HBO. The Pedro Pascal The Last of Us casting didn't quite come as a shock, as Pascal has proven that he's the perfect choice as the live-action Joel actor. Judging by Pascal's recent antihero father figure roles in a variety of films and television shows, he's the best fit to star as Joel — as audiences will find when The Last of Us premieres on HBO Max on January 15th, 2023.

The Pedro Pascal The Last of Us show shares many themes with Disney+'s The Mandalorian. The main premise follows Joel, a hardened smuggler trying to make ends meet in a post-apocalyptic United States. He's tasked with delivering Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a spunky teenager who may just be the key to curing the plague afflicting the world, to the Fireflies, a paramilitary faction focused on producing vaccines. Like The Last of Us, the Mandalorian must deliver a child (Grogu in Mandalorian, Ellie in The Last of Us) to a destination, requiring a long and unimaginably hazardous journey. Din Djarin and Joel share many qualities that set up Pedro Pascal as perfect for the live-action Joel actor. Din Djarin and Joel are both Stoic loners, haunted by their pasts and doing the best they can to survive. Since these characters are so similar and Pascal has already received critical acclaim for his role as Din Djarin, he will no doubt do the same for Joel.

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Din Djarin Proves HBO Cast Joel Right

Mando says goodbye to Grogu in The Mandalorian

The success of The Mandalorian stems largely from Pascal's performance as Din Djarin, prompting the Pedro Pascal The Last of Us casting. The Pedro Pascal character, even while helmeted, possesses so many affecting nuances. These come wholly through Pascal's voice acting and tonal shifts, which portray his conflicting emotions as he grows closer to Grogu over the course of their journey. The dad-like exasperation in his voice is apparent when, for example, Grogu consumes an alarming number of the Frog Lady's eggs. Viewers can hear his delight when Grogu practices using the Force. Pascal makes it easy to imagine the range of expressions Din may be making behind his helmet. Additionally, when he is unmasked, his body language is the same as if he were masked — turning his head fully to regard someone, glancing over to the right or left without moving his head.

Pascal has embodied Din fully, and he should have no trouble being the live-action Joel actor and perhaps even elevating the character to new emotional heights now that he will also be able to utilize his expressive face. At the end of The Last of Us, Joel is by all accounts Ellie's father, and he demonstrates this by rescuing her from the Fireflies' experimentation, much like Din does with Grogu from the Client in The Mandalorian. Because Pedro Pascal has so much experience and talent playing this type of character, he will bring all the gravity and heart a live-action portrayal of Joel deserves. This is why he is the perfect casting choice.

Pedro Pascal's Other Roles Prove He's The Perfect Joel

Joel and Ellie walking through the snow in The Last of Us

Outside The Mandalorian, Pedro Pascal has other roles in his roster that prove he can take on the burden of playing a live-action Joel. The Pedro Pascal The Last of Us show requires someone who can embody a gritty and complex character that toes the line between duty and personal feelings — and Pedro Pascal has that covered. Oberyn Martell on Game of Thrones is what made Pascal a household name, and the character's short-lived appearance proves that he's capable of playing Joel. Oberyn Martell did his duty to avenge the rape and murder of his sister, but clearly let his feelings get in the way, resulting in his death at the hands of the Mountain.

Showrunners obviously thought that Pascal was the right man for the job in portraying this dichotomy, as he's one of the few side characters not to undergo a recast. Pascal's performance as Javier Peña in Narcos also stands out. His depiction of the DEA agent provides the perfect balance between duty and emotion that's necessary for a live-action Joel. These parts aside, The Mandalorian alone has proven that Pedro Pascal is capable of taking on Joel from The Last of Us, and if any of his previous roles are any indication, audiences will fall head over heels for the Pedro Pascal The Last of Us character.

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Pedro Pascal As Joel Has Already Received Rave Reviews

The Last of Us Poster Joel and Ellie

The Pedro Pascal The Last of Us character is already turning heads, as the show is getting rave reviews from early screenings. The Last of Us thus far has been compared to early seasons of The Walking Dead, with a small cast that helps keep the storyline on track — and Pedro Pascal's Joel shines through. Pedro Pascal explained in an interview (via GQ) that he wanted to make Joel his own, rather than copy the videogame and that he did. Pascal takes on all the qualities of a man whose been to hell and back for the past several years, playing the character through the lens of his personal brand of quiet charm.

HBO spares no expense with The Last of Us' $10-15 million budget per episode, as the series immerses viewers into this post-apocalyptic world in its entirety. The fungal infection, known as the Cordyceps brain infection, is what sets The Last of Us apart from other zombie TV shows, in essence bringing about an entirely new type of horror. The pre-screening reviews are near-unanimous in their agreement that Pedro Pascal is a particular highlight of the show. His portrayal of hardened survivor Joel lives up to the hype by all accounts, and his role in The Mandalorian perfectly prepped him for his part in The Last of Us.

Next: HBO's The Last Of Us Can Expand The Game's Story (By Not Directly Adapting It)