The announcement of a Last of Us TV series was met with unanimous praise from fans not just for the potential storylines that will be adapted, but due to the reveal that Pedro Pascal will be playing the role of Joel. The actor has been solid in his previous performances, although he needs to get Joel’s mannerisms down pat.
Having tapped into his most brutal depths during the zombie apocalypse—whether it was fighting humans, the undead, or himself—Joel was known to evoke fierce mannerisms that Pascal will have to emulate. In addition, Joel also had a gentle side whose progressive reveal was part of his character development, and the actor needs to get all the aspects of Joel right to pull this performance off.
Updated on July 11th, 2022 by Tanner Fox: HBO recently released a few images pertaining to the upcoming adaptation of Naughty Dog's PlayStation-exclusive The Last of Us video game series. Joel and Ellie, the main characters of the campaign, have become fairly iconic in the gaming space, and, while Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey seem to have the look down, they'll also need to recapture their characters' expressions and mannerisms.
Many have compared the grizzled Joel Miller to the equally-stoic Din Djarin from the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. However, in The Last of Us, he'll have to come off as simultaneously closed-off and emotionally vulnerable, a state that won't be easy to convey.
Joel's Total Stoicism
Shortly after the twenty-year time skip in the original The Last of Us game, Joel is reintroduced as a hardened stoic who spent years dampening his emotions. Living in a world of death and decay, Joel began to cope by burying his feelings, and, when he first meets Ellie, he's practically unfeeling.
This, of course, was proven to be a bit of an act, as he does soften up as time goes on. However, for much of the HBO series' first season, Joel will be a grizzled, hard-hearted sort, and Pedro Pascal will have to convey that accurately.
The Look Of Determination
Joel was introduced as a broken-down man after the death of his daughter, but this made the times where he did have a purpose stand out. These moments came up when he had the intention to save Ellie or when a plan of his was coming to fruition.
This look was mainly through the eyes, where Joel’s usually droopy expression would become fixed toward his surroundings. Pedro Pascal will need to incorporate both Joel’s defeated expression and his laser-focused one in order to communicate his determination.
Being Stumped When He Has No Idea How To Respond
Joel doesn’t play to the stereotypical zombie hero trope and isn’t all-loving or even particularly heroic. When faced with a situation he didn’t want to be involved in, Joel would simply look back at the person before him with a non-committal expression.
The area around his mouth would be tightened as if he was on the verge of speaking but just didn’t have the words. It’s a clear indicator of being stumped with no retort or response coming his way even if he did want to answer.
His Restrained Fury
There were more than a few times when Joel had to keep himself from blowing up at someone. Not being the best at showing or even controlling his emotions, Joel’s attempts at restraining his anger would be obvious.
Pedro Pascal will need to emulate Joel’s tendency to enunciate his words during moments of building up his fury. Joel would simultaneously stiffen his posture, moving slowly as if a single word out of line would be enough to cause him to explode in rage.
Fear Mingled With Desperation
One of the dominant survivors of The Last of Us' apocalypse, Joel channeled his fears and frustrations into his drive to survive. This was shown through Joel’s wide-eyed look of astonishment, with his eyes darting around as if looking for something to aid him in his escape.
His desperation would be clear due to his knack for either shielding the person he was protecting or forcing them to bolt out of there with him. Pedro Pascal has voiced out this kind of behavior for The Mandalorian, but The Last of Us is where he’ll have to facially convey it.
His Refusal To Back Down In An Argument
This is something Pascal will need to rely more on his body movements to express, as Joel would remain unmoving when in an argument with someone as a way of displaying his unflinching attitude. In addition, he would speak in short bursts rather than make a long argument.
Complementing this would be Joel’s eyes, which would remain dead-on target on the person he was talking to. The general attitude he would have here would make Joel seem as if he was on the verge of threatening someone.
The Contemplative Stare
Having lived in do-or-die situations for twenty years before the main story of The Last of Us, Joel wasn’t used to thinking before jumping into something. Due to this, the new feeling of contemplation made his expression seem misty-eyed as if his spirit had left his body and was doing some soul searching.
Pedro Pascal has to emulate Joel’s mannerism of leaving his mouth open just a bit as if he were about to argue with himself in order to fully showcase his moments of contemplation.
His Hopeless Mourning
The death of Joel’s daughter is something fans will be nervous to see onscreen, but it remains the best example of Joel giving himself completely over to sorrow. Pedro Pascal did something similar in Wonder Woman 1984 with his character’s son, which he’ll need to do once again.
Joel’s mourning involved completely baring his sadness to the moment, which was shown by him letting his shoulders droop and having his facial features crumble with all hope lost in his overall demeanor.
The Dopey Dad Attitude Face
After accepting the influence Ellie had in his life, Joel got back to his habitual traits as a father. He began to smile more often and let his guard down, though this was still seen only rarely during the first The Last of Us outing.
It was done through Joel’s slouchy posture, a stark contrast to his stiff frame, as it conveyed that he was completely at ease. As far as facial features went, Joel’s expression wasn’t tightened anymore, as he used his upper lip to smile rather than purse his lips entirely.
The Unbridled Rage
Having endured two decades of strife and hardship, Joel was left with a very short fuse, and this is something that the The Last of Us TV series can’t change. Pedro Pascal will need to unleash his greatest potential for anger, seeing as Joel would never hold back when he was flared up.
His voice would even crack at times due to the intensity behind it—so much so that the person before him tended to wretch back. In addition, Joel would make use of his eyebrows to add to the ferocious state he would bear upon his opponent.
His Ability To Kill In Cold Blood
Ludonarrative dissonance is a term that describes the conflict between the narrative delivered as part of a video game's main story and the context inadvertently added to it by its gameplay. For instance, a video game character suddenly saddened over someone's death seems out of place when they massacred dozens of people in the very same mission without a shred of remorse.
Most players manage to ignore this, but, in a TV series, it could prove to be a problem. Joel will have to simultaneously be a ruthless killer and somewhat of a sensitive soul, and that's a tough balance for any actor to maintain.
His Gentle Attitude When Acknowledging Someone Else's Trauma
The overall arc of Joel and Ellie’s relationship throughout The Last of Us was about the former finally learning to care about someone else. This truly came to pass after Ellie had killed off David, which was when Joel displayed his sensitive side by consoling Ellie.
To accomplish this, Pedro Pascal will need to soften his expression while keeping empathy in his features. The trick is in Joel’s eyes, as they didn’t feature any kind of steely resolve or fierceness but had a tenderness behind them. Not to mention how Joel relaxed his hands when he looked to interact with Ellie.