Pedro Pascal says "beautiful" scene that made him want to join The Last of Us got cut, but it’ll thankfully appear in season 2: "He was like, ‘That’s half the reason I’m here!’"

The Last of Us season 2 first look — (Image credit: HBO)

Pedro Pascal says there was a cut scene from The Last of Us season 1 that made him want to join the show - but showrunner Craig Mazin says it'll appear in season 2.

"There was a scene, early in Season 1, where Joel met with a therapist in the QZ in Boston," Pascal told Variety. "I found it a beautiful way into the character and the walls that are guarding his traumas and losses." The scene in question, however, didn't make it into the show's first season.

"And he was like, 'That’s half the reason I’m here!'" Mazin said, clarifying that the scene would indeed appear in season 2. "Therapy is a fantastic mirror to say not just ‘What are you really thinking?' but what people are refusing to talk about."

The inclusion of this particular scene has me thinking about the timeline of season 2 and how much they plan to spread out The Last of Us Part 2. In the video game, it feels like Joel's Big Event (which we refuse to spoil for you) happens almost immediately. But given the trailer and everything we know so far about The Last of Us season 2, it looks like we might be spending a lot more time with adult Ellie and older Joel - which I'm definitely not mad about.