The Last of Us star Peter Pascal spoke about the importance of blind casting in Hollywood productions.
What did Pedro Pascal say about blind casting?
Pascal spoke with me diversity about the cast and how restricting characters to specific racial identities can limit a story. He noted that while “people get so mad about something like this,” it’s “the coolest way to move the needle.”
“I think the change is really important and that the best way to continue the representation is exactly as you say — just putting a person in a role that doesn’t… don’t confine a character to their racial identity,” explained Pascal. “Especially if it’s an IP that we’re familiar with or a book – and people get so upset about that stuff, but who cares? Because that’s the coolest way to move the needle, which is to be open about the cast in every way… I think we need to keep discovering it (representation) and making sure we understand that representation is there to tell a story . rather than fulfilling a political frustration, which is also perfectly legitimate. It’s a very interesting thing to navigate and I think it deserves all the attention in the world for us to get through, that the needle is moving and things are kind of changing.”
The Last of Us currently stars Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy Miller and Rutina Wesley as Maria. Season 2 is expected to be based on Naughty Dog’s acclaimed video game sequel, The Last of Us Part II, which will feature a significant time warp with the introduction of a now-adult Ellie.
Season 1 also starred Nico Parker, Anna Torv, Melanie Lynskey, Murray Bartlett, Nick Offerman and Storm Reid. It also included guest appearances by original video game actors Jeffrey Pierce, Merle Dandridge, Troy Baker, and Ashley Johnson as new characters.
The series is executive produced and co-written by Craig Mazin, creator of Chernobyl, and Neil Druckmann, writer of the original game, who also serves as one of the directors. It is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television in association with PlayStation Productions. Executive Producers are Carolyn Strauss, Naughty Dog President Evan Wells, and PlayStation Productions Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan.
Season 1 is now available to stream on Max.