Pedro Pascal Forgot He Got The Role In 'The Last Of Us' & Time Zones Screwed Him Up
"I was excited I guess, but I didn't remember."
Pedro Pascal on The Tonight Show on Feb 2, 2023. Right: Pedro Pascal as Joel in The Last of Us.
Pedro Pascal might be the "it" guy right now for his role as Joel in The Last Of Us, but he confessed to Jimmy Fallon on Thursday that he totally forgot the moment that launched this whole thing.
Pascal sat down with Fallon on The Tonight Show and admitted that he really wanted the role, but he took a sleeping aid right before he got a call about it and he totally forgot the big news.
"That was a really strange circumstance. I was actually in London and everyone else was in Los Angeles," Pascal told Fallon.
"I got sent these scripts and I was told that '[co-creator] Craig Mazin wants you to read these scripts. And if you like them, he'd like to talk to you.'"
Pascal said it was getting late at that point and he was amped up about the part, so he took an Ambien to help him sleep.
"They've got my adrenaline kind of going and my hopes up," he said. "But I get a call and I get told that I got the job after I took the Ambien."
"I was excited I guess, but I didn't remember. I woke up in the morning and the first thing that occurred to me was like 'Oh man, I really want that job. I'm in London, they're in L.A. I'm going to wait by the phone all day long.'"
The Mandalorian actor said that's when he saw congratulatory messages on his phone and finally remembered he got the job.
The show, which is based on the video game of the same name, has been getting rave reviews since it premiered in January.
Episode three, in particular, was applauded for its portrayal of the intimate relationship between two characters: Bill and Frank.
The series co-creator/executive producer is also hinting at an emotional episode coming for Pascal's character.
In an interview with TVLine, Craig Mazin said Joel won't get the same type of episode looking at his past.
“I don’t think we’re going to go backwards at length like that, but Joel’s past is what informs his future,” Mazin told TVLine.
“There’s a particular moment I’m thinking of that also just [hits] me so hard.”
HBO has already confirmed the show has been renewed for a season two.
The Last of Us airs on HBO at 9 p.m. on Sundays.
The first three episodes are available to stream on HBO Max in the U.S. and Crave in Canada.
You can also catch Pascal hosting Saturday Night Live on February 4.