Spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn’t seen the HBO series premiere yet. The Last of Usas well as all those who do not want to be spoiled by the opening of the video game.
Finally, fans and video game viewers were able to witness the majesty of HBO. The Last of Uswith ChernobylCraig Mazin and the game’s co-writer and director, Neil Druckmann, deliver an adaptation that stays true to the source material while logically expanding the world and its characters. The talented cast of the show. is directed in part by Pedro Pascal as Joel as the ever-grumpy survivor Joel, whose tragic backstory serves as a prologue to the series premiere, revolving around the super-depressing and easily avoidable death of his daughter Sarah. The tragic character was embodied by Reminiscenceit’s Nico Parker, who spoke to Gossipify about expanding Sarah’s limited story for television, as well as her connection to co-star Pascal.
Nico Parker is no stranger to starring in live-action adaptations, having been a self-aware young man in Tim Burton Dumbo Remake but The Last of Us definitely not a Disney tale. The horror drama’s opening flashback (after the news airs) is similar to that of the game in that it takes place on Joel’s birthday, but starts a little earlier in the game, giving viewers more time with Sarah before for the inevitable recession to come. And, of course, the father-daughter relationship could have come from an entirely different blueprint given how bright and unscary things are at first. Unfortunately, the intensity builds as infected neighbors step in and Sarah’s time in this world is interrupted by a dedicated soldier, cementing Joel’s cynical and grizzled future. It was quite difficult to relive that moment the excellent remake/remaster of 2022 and it was doubly difficult to watch it live.
As seen in the video above, Nico Parker spoke to Gossipify about giving viewers more Sarah before cutting the carpet for everyone, saying:
I think it was because, you know, I knew I was going; I know what the character is, I know what happened to the character, but I think what’s been so exciting is you get to see her more and you can see more of her connection to Joel. I think what the game does so well is, so quickly and with such immediacy, that it already interests you. Right from the start, you care about Sarah and Joel, and you care about them and their relationship, which makes the ending so heartbreaking. So having more time to be able to do that was like a dream. To expand that and show more of it and, if anything, make it even more depressing than it is was wonderful.
Obviously, it wasn’t the kind of role an actor would vie for in hopes of lasting work, but Parker still agreed to play the fleeting character, knowing the importance and power of bringing Sarah to life. With viewers watching Pedro Pascal’s Joel two decades later having to find ways to bond with Bella Ramsey’s all-important Ellie, it was all the more important to really deepen their father-daughter bond so that it was always with viewers. . He cares about exactly what she has lost. Although Mazin and Druckmann have declared the series it won’t be as violent as the games were it was a necessarily brutal way to start.
Nico Parker on relationship with Pedro Pascal
Speaking of bonding, players know that Joel and Ellie aren’t hooking up right away, under any circumstances, and it’s going to take a little longer for them to let go of their outer shells and indulge in each other. But this is not the case. not at all the situation of Joel and Sarah, whose on-screen relationship is immediately warm, easygoing and loving. As fans of Pedro Pascal might have hoped (and wished for), Nico Parker didn’t pretend to adore him. In his words:
I mean, I really love him as a human being outside of work and filming. I think he is definitely one of the greatest. He is simply the best friend and human, and I love him very much. And so, it wasn’t that hard to love being in that relationship, because I was like, ‘I love you and you’re amazing.’ And since we get along well, I think the way it translates to, hopefully, obviously, fingers crossed, on screen, it’s easier for Joel and Sarah because Pedro and I were already like, hey, friends. Yes, I think creating and establishing that link was easy.
Parker also talked about the general strangeness of the concert, as the actors often have to fictitiously recount entire life stories with other actors they may have just met the previous week. Here’s how she said it:
But it’s still weird, because you’ve known them for a week and you act like they’ve been your father for 14 years and you love them so much and whatnot. And then like imitating a routine that you’ve never done in your life, your daily routine, that’s also very strange. But he made it an absolute joy.
Luckily, Nico Parker and Pedro Pascal’s off-screen connection was strong enough to explode with electricity early in the series. I can only hope that the show’s creators have a flashback scene or two with Sarah to bring back later in the season. But that may be too optimistic for this universe.
The Last of Us airs new episodes every Sunday night on hbo and is available for live streaming with a Maximum HBO subscription . go to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to check out all the other big shows heading to the small screen over the next year.
Source: Cinemablend
