Warning: This post contains spoilers for the latest episode of season two of The Last of Us!
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, the stars of The Last of Us, are speaking out about the second episode of season two, which aired on Sunday night (April 20).
In the episode, titled, “Through the Valley,” as Abby weighs her options, Jackson Hole prepares for a brewing storm amid growing reports of infected.
While some knew it was coming eventually, others were completely left in shock at a major character death in the episode, and Pedro and Bella are sharing their reactions and thoughts.
Keep reading to find out more…
“It’s not like they said, ‘Hey, we kill you at the beginning of season 2,’” Pedro told EW. “But it was always an understanding that it would stay true to the source material in a specific way and that the, let’s say, practical and exclusive obligation would be for season 1. It was just a matter of how and when.”
Co-creator Craig Mazin told The Wrap that Pedro knew about his character’s fate since the first time they ever Zoomed.
“We love Pedro, but I told him the very first time I ever Zoomed with him, ‘So here’s the thing, you’re playing this guy, Joel. In Season 2, he’s gonna die.’ There was never a question. It was always understood that was built into this,” he said.
Bella added that they had a very emotional reaction to reading the script.
“I’ve never cried reading a piece of writing before, but I had such a gastral reaction to it,” they told EW. “It’s almost like we’ve played that dynamic, me and Pedro, for a year, and it feels like father-daughter in some way. I think my reaction to that being over was quite a gradual feeling. Also knowing that that would be the end of Pedro and us two working together in this capacity.”
Craig also dished on Pedro and Bella‘s relationship and getting to this point in the story.
“He had been looking forward to the moment because it had been hanging over everything for so long. But I know that also for him and for Bella, it was hard because they have become so beautifully entwined with each other,” he told THR. “They have the most lovely, wholesome, supportive relationship, and they both felt a sense like they were saying goodbye. There are emotions there, I think, that transcend the acting. They love each other.”
If you missed it, The Last of Us has already been renewed for a third season!!