The Last of Us stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey reveal how Game of Thrones helped with the new show

Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie in HBO's The Last of Us
(Image credit: HBO)

The Last of Us co-stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey have opened up on how working on Game of Thrones helped them with HBO's latest hit show. Both actors played scene-stealing roles in Game of Thrones, with Pascal playing the charismatic Oberyn Martell and Ramsey the feisty Lyanna Mormont – though they never actually shared any screen time in the fantasy series. 

"I feel like it made us come from a family without knowing each other already," Pascal told Entertainment Weekly. "To have two characters that the fans liked make their entrance and make their exit is parallel for the both of us and a kind of bonding thing before we even got a chance to bond. So, yes, I am grateful for that."

Ramsey, whose first professional acting job was Game of Thrones, also credits the show for her career. "I don't think that I'd be an actor if it wasn't for Game of Thrones, 'cause I never really set out to be [one], and then it sort of happened," they said. "I wouldn't have it any other way. So it set me up and prepared me for The Last of Us, and all my other projects, in ways that I don't think anything else could."

Pascal plays Joel in The Last of Us and Ramsey is his charge Ellie, a young girl he must transport across a dangerous, post-apocalyptic land gripped by the Cordyceps infection, a terrifying sickness that turns its hosts to violent, zombie-like creatures. 

You can keep up to date with the show with our The Last of Us release schedule – and fill out your watchlist with our roundup of all the most exciting new TV shows coming your way. 

Molly Edwards
Entertainment Writer

I'm an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.