Watching Pedro Pascal die wasn’t the hardest thing for The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey to film — it was what came after.
“Oh God, in the closet, that was the hardest [scene],” Ramsey, 21, told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on Sunday, April 27. “I really struggle with crying in scenes. I can get a tear out, but that’s different to crying. And even getting the tear, it doesn’t come easy for me.”
They explained that “a very, very limited amount of people in my life will see me cry,” so doing it on set was a struggle.
“It’s virtually impossible for me,” they continued. “I was really worried about that scene, and that was the toughest one for me to shoot.”
Pedro Pascal Breaks Silence After Joel’s Death in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2
Ramsey was referring to a moment that took place during Sunday’s The Last of Us episode, titled “The Path.”
Sunday’s episode featured a three-month time jump after Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) murdered Joel for revenge following his hospital massacre in the show’s first season finale. Viewers discover that Ellie has been hospitalized for three months after losing Joel to recover from her own injuries inflicted by Abby’s crew. Once she’s released from the hospital, Ellie returns home for the first time following Joel’s death. When entering his room, Ellie makes a beeline for the closet and breaks down in sobs with her head in one of his shirts.
While Pascal, 50, wasn’t on set with Ramsey for this heartbreaking moment, they used the actor as inspiration.
“I’ve tried [before in crying scenes] to think about something really sad in my own life and try and evoke emotions that way,” Ramsey explained. “That doesn’t really work for me because it takes me out of the truth of the situation for Ellie. So, I was remembering the happiest of memories that I have with Pedro.”
Fans React to That Shocking ‘Last of Us’ Season 2 Death
Ramsey and Pascal have formed an offscreen bond since they kicked off their roles as Joel and Ellie, respectively in 2023.
“The thing that is always the saddest for me is remembering the happy things,” Ramsey told THR. “I was remembering us the first few times that we met and the whole of shooting season 1 together, and the funniest moments.”
Remembering those moments through the lens of Joel and Ellie plus as Ramsey and Pascal allowed for the tears to flow.
“The memories of me and Pedro and Joel and Ellie are so intertwined for me,” they explained.
New episodes of The Last of Us premiere on HBO Sunday at 9 p.m.
