Who Is Pedro Pascal Playing in HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ Series? What to Know About Joel

Bringing his skills to the small screen! Pedro Pascal is taking on another iconic role, but this time he’s bringing video game to life. HBO is set to premiere the highly anticipated series The Last of Us in January 2023, and from the sound of it, the show stays true to the course material.

“There’s a very, very creative way of honoring what’s important and also preserving what is iconic to the experience of the video game, and also, [to include] things that you wouldn’t necessarily expect,” Pedro teased to British GQ in April 2022. Then, directions that you would expect it to go, and it might not. … They’re doing some really smart things, is all I can say.”

The Chilean actor teased that the series “really is made for the people that love” the game. However, it won’t leave out the newbies. “There’s some very intense storytelling for people who might be less familiar,” he added.

Keep reading for all the details on The Last of Us, including Pedro’s character Joel and more. 

What Is ‘The Last of Us’ About?

Based on the video game of the same name, the nine-episode inaugural season is set to take place 20 years in the future. “Modern civilization has been destroyed,” per HBO’s official logline. “Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.”

Courtesy of HBO Pedro Pascal Is Set to Play Joel

In the video game, Joel is the primary playable character. In the upcoming series, he’s also the protagonist.

“I found Joel so impressive — I found the whole of it such a visually impressive experience,” the Mandalorian actor told GQ, revealing that he’s watched his nephew play the video game. “Then, I got worried that I would want to imitate too much, which I think could be right in some circumstances, and then a mistake in others. So, I just wanted to create a healthy distance, and for that to be more in the hands of [show cowriter] Craig Mazin and [game writer and show cowriter] Neil Druckmann.”

How to Watch ‘The Last of Us’

The show is set to premiere via HBO on January 15, 2023. It’s also set to star Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, Nick Offerman as Bill, Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, Storm Reid as Riley, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, Lamar Johnson as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Graham Greene as Marlon, and Elaine Miles as Florence.