When The Last Of Us was announced for a live-action adaptation on HBO, fans of the beloved Naughty Dog game knew that they had to nail the casting of Joel and Ellie. After all, they were everything in the game. It was all about them trying to survive the world they were thrown into and had to endure. Thankfully, with some good people at the helm, they cast Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey to play the parts. The two did spectacularly, and both might be given Emmy nominations for their roles when the time comes. But if you were wondering if Bella was up for acknowledging Pedro’s “status,” you would be right.
She chatted recently about her career, and one thing that was brought up was how Pedro Pascal has the status of “Daddy” in many fans’ eyes because his two most popular roles in recent times were that of rugged “father figures.” Needless to say, many fans wouldn’t mind if Pedro was their “daddy,” in the real or figurative sense. Apparently, Ramsey was more than happy to play into that when she worked with Pedro:
“I very much played into it at the beginning, but now I’m worried it’s gone too far,” Ramsey told Vanity Fair in an interview. “I don’t know whether he’s still loving it; I need to ask him. He’s a global phenomenon as he should be, because he’s pretty spectacular.”
As for why he might not be “loving it” anymore, that has to do with the “curse of celebrity.” At first, you don’t mind when fans call you a special name because of your roles. But when you hear it repeatedly, you wonder how long it will last.
Ironically, Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, had a similar problem regarding her role over the last few years. She’s been called “Mommy” by many fans, and it’s kind of rattled her a bit. So Pedro might be feeling it too. Or he might be fine with it. It’s hard to say.
It is very ironic that he’s played two similar-style kinds of fathers between his roles as “Mando” and Joel. Many have even noted how The Mandalorian and The Last of Us technically have a similar plot, just in a different universe, and they’re not wrong.
As to how we’ll find out if he likes it or not going forward, we’re sure he’ll tell us, or he’ll demand that we all start calling him “daddy.”
