Pedro Pascal has shared his thoughts on Joel Miller, the character he is playing in HBO’s upcoming The Last Of Us TV show.

Pascal had already said a lot about the show itself. In prior interviews he was quite glib about how the show was being run by people who really love the source material. He has also confirmed, in spite of not playing through the games, that he knows about Joel’s final fate. There seems to be a lot of concern that the show would change so much from the video games. Now it has to be understood that some changes would really be necessary to fit the changes between media. Ultimately, the show’s producers, which does include Sony itself, have to think about making a product that will appeal to a show watching audience.

However, Pedro hasn’t talked much about how he feels about Joel himself. Having made his name playing Mando in The Mandalorian, Pedro stepped into the role of a seemingly similar but considerably less sympathetic character.  Without revealing all the details of Joel’s life narrative, his story is one filled with tragedy and disillusion, that’s marked by moments where he expressed love and tenderness, even if the choices he makes aren’t always the correct ones.

Pedro is thoughtful about Joel’s existential dilemma in a nihilistic world, that perhaps mirrors his inner turmoil back to him. Here’s what he has to say about Joel.

“I think what’s scary about Joel is that none of us really know what we’d be capable of if faced with the idea of losing love. Whether it’s conscious or unconscious, being alive or even being a human being is directly connected to the love you feel. Existing is connected to the love you feel toward a particular relationship—your child, your partner—and to lose that? Some people are not capable of applying rational thought to that kind of loss, or the threat of that loss, or the threat of that loss again, right?”

On the lighter side, Pedro has a humorous response to the follow up question that the way Joel is is what makes him, and the rest of us, human:

“That’s what makes you human and inhuman. It’s such a beautiful question that the video game poses. I avoid all of it by not having kids. And staying out of relationships.”

Hopefully, by demonstrating this much of an understanding and analysis of what Joel is like, Pedro will also bring a memorable performance for Joel himself.

The Last Of Us TV show is debuting on HBO on January 15, 2023.

Source: Wired