The Last of Us star admits Ellie is a "bit of a brat" at first

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us HBO TV Show — (Image credit: HBO Max)

The Last of Us TV show stars have spoken about why they find their characters so compelling.

In a new interview with this month's PLAY Magazine, The Last of Us stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who play Joel and Ellie respectively in the HBO adaptation, spoke about their characters. "I feel like it's territory that I've been approaching within the last few projects, and I love coming into a full realization of this kind of character," Pascal said of Joel in The Last of Us.

Pascal added that although the "character is such a rich and exciting one," he admits he'd play a "coffee cup" for broadcaster HBO. Ramsey, on the other hand, admitted that her character Ellie comes off as a "bit of a brat" when one first meets her and ultimately knows nothing about her.

"I like all the layers to her that we get to see, and that different layers of her come to the forefront of different times," Ramsey continued. "On a different level, I like the fact that she curses a lot, that was pretty fun for me," Ramsey added of her character in The Last of Us.

The actor went on to say that Ellie is "mature because of the world around her," and that she "liked how she ends up relating to Joel and the way that they mirror each other and clash." This, Ramsey said, is what ultimately makes Joel and Ellie open up to each other over the course of the new HBO series.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.