The Last of Us: How Pedro Pascal's Injury Will Affect Season 2
Will Pedro Pascal's injury delay production on The Last of Us TV show? Here's what one of HBO's top executives had to say.
HBO's The Last of Us TV series is gearing up for production on Season 2 – but there's a hiccup. And we're not talking about the aftereffects of the writers' and actors' strikes from last year.
Last of Us TV series star Pedro Pascal made big headlines when he was spotted at awards season events like the Golden Globes and Emmys with his right arm in a sling. While doing the press lines at those events, Pascal revealed that he took a fall at his family home, causing an injury to his right shoulder. That unfortunate development has also left one big question hanging in the air:
How will Pedro Pascal's injury affect production on The Last of Us Season 2?
Variety had a chance to sit down with Casey Bloys, HBO's and Max's content chairman/CEO, about what the next slate of HBO projects is looking like after the strikes. When it comes to The Last of Us Season 2, Bloys directly addressed the new challenges that come with Pedro Pascal's injury.
According to Bloys, production on The Last of Us Season 2 is continuing uninterrupted, "I think they figured out a way," he said. "I can't tell you exactly what the production plan is. But I know that they have taken that [injury] into account. I don't even know the exact nature of the injury, but I know that production has figured out a way to work around it."
Upon analysis, Pedro Pascal's injury seemed to most likely be some kind of strain or tear – rather than a break – meaning that his arm and shoulder would technically be functional – just not fully. Hollywood productions have considerable resources to throw at their stars when it comes to medical treatment and physical therapy, so it's not crazy to think that HBO could get through his shoot on The Last of Us Season 2 while also rehabilitating his injury.
Without dropping any spoilers, there's also the fact that Pascal's role as Joel in The Last of Us Season 2 may not immediately demand too much of him physically. It's no spoiler to say that there will need to be some re-establishment of place, characters, and context, for the next chapter of the series – not to mention the build-up to the larger story arc of the season. With a little re-arrangement, Pascal could easily film the less-demanding scenes of character interactions and dialogue, while leaving any action moments to his stunt double.
The Last of Us Season 2 is in production at HBO.