Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey have opened up about their very first meeting.
The two actors play Joel and Ellie in the hit drama The Last Of Us, and are now known for being besties away from the show, too.
Despite both Pedro and Bella having appeared in Game Of Thrones before The Last Of Us came calling, they revealed during a new joint interview with Deadline that their paths never actually crossed until work was about to begin on the post-apocalyptic series.
In fact, it turns out their very first meeting was rather low-key.
“I think it’s surreal [looking back at it], the amount of pressure we felt that was not imposed upon us at all,” Pedro began. “If anything, I feel like it was inappropriate that they hadn’t asked us to do more.
“What I mean is I met you simply because you were coming to get your hair cut in the trailer and not because you were coming to meet me or that Joel and Ellie were going to meet.”
Bella agreed: “Right. It was a byproduct. You were on your lunch break.”
Joel continued: “It was this byproduct because we were shooting the first episode, and then you had arrived, and you were – everyone was – put in quarantine and borders were still closed. And there were very important protocols being abided by, and that could be a big part of it.
“But there was an artful part of not really trying to force anything to happen and the feeling of the confidence of casting, which I found to be utterly delusional,” he added with a laugh. “I was like, ‘How could you know that you’d have a hit casting me with Bella?’. Like, how did they know? Somehow, they did.”
Bella went on to say there was “no bonding” process before production got underway, and instead they and Joel got to know one another better during shooting.
“We didn’t have a choice. And I feel like we did — in an unspoken way — by taking one another’s cues and not putting pressure on one another, and yet still hoping that she approved of me or vice versa.”
“Exactly,” Bella continued. “It was like, here, meet the person you’re going to spend the rest of the year with. And that’s cool, and I think it worked out.
“I think our relationship grew and developed as Joel and Ellie’s did. No, actually, Joel and Ellie initially were very estranged and had a lot of anger and resentment towards one another. We didn’t have that. We were just shy of each other.
“And now that I think about it, us being trapped in the car together for episode three did a lot for us.”
The pair were also asked for their thoughts on season two, with Bella stating: “I’m looking forward to just being back, and I’ve heard bits about how the story’s developing, and I know quite a bit about the second video game. I’ve watched a lot of it.
“So, I’m just excited to experience more things and for it to get a bit deeper and more intense.”
“I’m really excited that there’s a likelihood that the dynamic between the two of them has really changed and that the texture of that is something that goes even further in the playing,” Pedro added.
A second season of The Last Of Us was confirmed before the first had even finished – although it seems fans are still in for a bit of a wait.
The Last Of Us is available to watch on Now.
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