The Last of Us TV Show Actors Haven’t Played The Games to Prepare for their Roles 

Video game adaptations have always been a hit or miss, based on the live-action adaptations of iconic gaming franchises we’ve seen in the past. However, some video game adaptations such as Arcane: League of Legends, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Mortal Kombat (2021) have found success which proves that live-action video game adaptations can work if done right.  

While The Last of Us TV Series looks pretty spot on with the adaptation of The Last of Us Part 1, a surprising piece of information have been revealed by the actors for Joel and Ellie which might shock fans of the game series.  

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who play Joel and Ellie respectively, have stated that they have not played The Last of Us games in order to prepare for their roles and were even encouraged not to do so. This was done to have the actors not “imitate too much” from the games.  

During an interview with GQ, Pedro was asked about his familiarity with The Last of Us games. He replied that he initially tried to play the games but ultimately handed the controller over to his nephew, stating that he didn’t have the “specific kind of skill” required to complete the game.  

However, Pedro watched his nephew play the game for a while that day but he hasn’t seen much from the games as he doesn’t want to get too close to the video game version of the character and wants to keep the TV adaptation seperate.  

When it comes to Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie in the TV series, it seems like she hasn’t played the games either and was encouraged not to do so. According to an interview with USA Today, Ramsey stated that she hasn’t played The Last of Us games. When asked in her first audition whether she had the chance to either The Last of Us Part 1 or Part 2, Ramsey simply replied “nope”, and the people who auditioned her told her to “keep it that way”. 

Although Ramsey had mentioned that she watched some of the gameplay on YouTube to get a sense of The Last of Us world. Only time will tell whether The Last of Us TV series overcomes the video game adaptation curse or not when it premiers next year on HBO Max.  

About The Last of Us (TV Series)

The Last of Us is an upcoming American post-apocalyptic drama television series set to air on HBO. Based on the 2013 video game of the same name developed by Naughty Dog, the series will follow Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler tasked with escorting the teenage Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across a post-apocalyptic United States.

It will feature Gabriel Luna as Joel’s younger brother Tommy, Merle Dandridge as resistance leader Marlene, and Anna Torv as Joel’s smuggler partner Tess. It is the first HBO series to be based on a video game, and is a joint production by Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, The Mighty Mint, and Word Games.