Warning: This article contains major spoilers for The Last of Us‘ May 11 episode.
As it turns out, Joel Miller’s death does not mark the last of Pedro Pascal‘s screen time.
On the May 11th episode of The Last of Us, the actor once again took on the part of Ellie’s (played by Bella Ramsey) surrogate father. This came three weeks after viewers were left shocked when his character Joel met a violent end, being struck with a golf club in the previous episodes, causing quite a stir online.
After Elie had extracted information from Nora, the WLF soldier portrayed by Tati Gabrielle, about Joel’s murderer, she found herself in what seemed like a flashback to happier days. As the sun rose and streamed through her window, Joel entered the room, welcoming her cheerfully with “Hey there, kiddo.
However, Pedro isn’t a stranger to on-screen deaths, as his characters in shows like Game of Thrones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Gladiator II have all suffered the same fate.
Pedro has faced on-screen death multiple times before, with his characters in shows such as Game of Thrones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Gladiator II being no exception.
“I get killed a lot,” he joked to Entertainment Weekly in April. “I like to die.”
Still, Joel’s death hit him hard personally.
On that particular day, Pedro entered the set all made up, but as soon as people looked at me, I instantly ruined the atmosphere. Reflecting back, it was a strange and disheartening feeling to be the cause of such shock and disappointment.
Additionally, for Kaitlyn Dever, who portrayed the Abby character that ultimately determined Joel’s destiny, there was an extra layer of tragedy in the narrative.
She shared with the media that her mother had passed away around two to three weeks prior to filming this specific scene, and her mother’s funeral took place just three days before her first day on set. Consequently, she felt somewhat disoriented or confused during that time.
Due to some personal situations, I couldn’t stick to my usual acting schedule, which was quite challenging for me since I was concerned about it. However, this situation led me to take a new perspective, and I believe it greatly benefited the character in many aspects.
For more behind-the-scenes secrets about The Last of Us, keep reading…
According to production designer John Paino, speaking with TopMob News, “The game serves as our visual inspiration,” referring to the 2013 PlayStation title that HBO’s The Last of Us is based on. He noted that the concept art for the game always had a cinematic feel, with a strong sense of location, lighting, and realism.
Despite its cinematic appearance, it was indeed a game. Paul Healy, the set decorator known as Paino, along with hundreds of other craftsmen, were responsible for constructing physical representations of the game’s dueling realms: a world that, while seemingly close but subtly reminiscent of 2003, and a timeless version of that same year, two decades after the collapse of life as we knew it.
Paino clarified that the primary difficulty lay in working within an actual real-world context. “We’re creating a story set in a specific era, overlaid on a post-apocalyptic backdrop, and it’s also a drama focusing on characters,” he said, emphasizing the complexity of these interwoven layers.
The production began in Calgary in July 2021, and as he stated, the city was “tasked with certain requirements.” However, he added, “I don’t believe there was ever a location that didn’t receive some attention from the art department or renovation.” Moreover, he noted that “everything has been overlooked for two decades,” implying that even areas suitable for filming would require modifications to remove anything too modern, like digital parking meters.
The first time Paino sat down with the producers, he displayed collages that, as he put it, “symbolized the game for me.” A specific collection of pictures caught their attention: Discarded restaurant chairs in a Hong Kong alleyway, repurposed by locals using makeshift repairs like traffic cones or wooden props to replace missing legs.
After two decades without resources, the question crossed Paino’s mind: “How do people manage to exist?” He pondered. “What strategies do they employ? I plan to present this image to illustrate the aridity and resourcefulness—the delicate balance between despair and optimism.
According to Paino, series co-creator Craig Mazin found those images to be exceptionally impressive, and with that, they began their work in full swing.
As a die-hard admirer, I can’t help but sing praises to the visual effects wizards, led by none other than Alex Wang himself, for crafting those breathtakingly authentic cityscapes that drive home the horrifying scale of the destruction. Yet, in stark contrast, everything the actors interacted with at close range was not just computer-generated but real and tangible, a testament to their exceptional craftsmanship.
He stated, “As they exit the QZ, everything surrounding them appears constructed and sculpted.” He continued, “They walk through this environment, and then we zoom out to reveal it was digitally created. Our general approach was to elevate our set design by 20 feet above ground level and dress everything around them. Unlike green screen stages, they’re not merely walking through a series of digital backdrops.
The TV series, “The Last of Us,” which is primarily based in a world devastated by a cordyceps plague that transforms the infected into clickers—monsters with onion-like heads, surprisingly employs a vibrant color scheme rather than a gloomy one.
Inside Boston’s quarantine area, the landscape is dominated by red bricks and vibrant splashes of blue and yellow. Beyond the quarantine zone, nature has been actively reclaiming its territory, covering buildings with lush vines (all artfully crafted) and various verdant vegetation.
“I never wanted it to feel like a Dutch painting, where everything was brown,” Paino quipped.
For Ellie, who had never ventured beyond the Quarantine Zone until she embarked on her journey with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Tess (Anna Torv), everything seemed a bit more vibrant to her because she was discovering the world with a new perspective. The unsettling organic clickers provided bursts of color, and even common fungi had become part of the landscape, giving some walls a leathery, plant-like appearance.
Intricate white model cards were found incredibly useful by the production designer, as well. (Indeed, even this expansive universe exists in a smaller scale.)
According to Paino, we had a remarkable individual who specialized in creating detailed models. What particularly stood out for me was the massive model built for the cul-de-sac [in episode five, “Endure and Survive”], where the clickers emerged from the ground. The entire scene required an impressive amount of stunt coordination.
Movement specialist Terry Notary organized a training session for the background actors, helping them convincingly depict a group of infected characters.
In the role of Jackson, Wyoming, the town of Canmore served as a stand-in for where Joel’s brother Tommy (portrayed by Gabriel Luna) resided comfortably, surrounded by modern conveniences such as electricity and movie nights, within a secluded, fortified community.
Paino pointed out that they constructed sections of the walls and refurbished many facades, but what truly delighted him from that project was the construction of the makeshift pasture right in the midst of a parking area.
I absolutely enjoyed having a spacious pasture! It was filled with a handful of cows, some sheep, and even beautiful horses. The work done by the set decorators was simply fantastic.
In episode seven titled “Left Behind,” Paino particularly enjoyed the setting where Ellie and her close companion Riley (Storm Reid) initially had an amazing evening. However, the harsh truth that no place can guarantee safety unexpectedly surfaced in this location.
The designer stated that the Northland Village Mall in Calgary was “meant to be,” as he put it. Originally slated for demolition, we fortuitously discovered it. Every facade within was rebuilt, along with all the signage, the unwanted items, the ivy, and even the merry-go-round.
The decorators located underwear similar to what might have been displayed in a Victoria’s Secret window during the year 2003, costumes suitable for a Halloween shop, and the more limited assortment of American Girl dolls that could be found at their boutique back then.
In Paino’s observation, every brand name – whether it was displayed on shop fronts in the mall, an abandoned Arby’s in Kansas City that always showed “Matchstick Men” and “Underworld” on its marquee, or a sign indicating they accept Mastercard at a restaurant with wine glasses filled with moss on undisturbed tables – were distinctly part of the show. This is because the video game didn’t incorporate any real-world trademarked products.
The amusement company rented out the carousel decorated like a rodeo, which Ellie and Riley enjoy riding, from the Spruce Meadows entertainment center in Calgary. They shipped it dismantled and put it back together again at Northland Village.
They added reflective panels to the center of the ride to add to the surreality of the experience.
Regarding Raja’s Arcade (originally from a game), Paino remarked, “Since I was born in the ’70s, I used to spend a considerable amount of time at the local arcade in a shopping mall, hence it wasn’t difficult for me.
He went on saying how enjoyable it was to set up the vibrant neon decorations, “and we managed to find a genuine ’70s carpet, featuring the iconic Zippy satellite design.” They also introduced various games, such as Tetris, Frogger, and Mortal Kombat from past eras.
He mentioned that some of those could be rented, but our team constructed quite a few of them, and they indeed functioned effectively. However, when attempting to record games from two decades ago on camera, the old cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitors appeared fuzzy, so we swapped them out for clearer flat LED screens to better capture the action on film.
“That was a lot of fun,” he reflected. “I loved that set.”
In second place among Paino’s preferred settings was the town where Nick Offerman (Bill) had settled down comfortably on his own. However, in 2007, Murray Bartlett (Frank) appeared, turning everything upside down. When Frank is introduced into the narrative, their heartrending love story, crafted for the series, provided a unique form of heartache as the plot veered away from Joel and Ellie’s journey.
They had limited time to prepare everything, from arranging the vegetation to shaping the Civil War statue, as Paino explained. “I believe we worked until quite late on the evening before filming started.
Paino clarified that Bill’s home, although owned by him, bore a resemblance to an older woman’s style, given its wealthy appearance and near-museum preservation. This was the style initially portrayed when the rugged survivalist character was first introduced.
Frank arrived and found himself pondering, “Alright, now, what’s the plan?” Thoughtfully, he decided, “I’ll head to Target and grab some paints.
Despite the quaint village appearing deserted in no time, there’s still a Home Depot present. Paino suggested, “Head over to Michael’s, grab some paint, hang your artwork, bring some vitality and flowers.” He added, “That was quite an effective touch for creating ambiance.
At the culmination, following sixteen years as one, Frank’s artwork adorned every wall in what is now our shared home, leaving us a tearful trio.
In episode 5, some of Sam’s sketches were created by Keivonn Montreal Woodard, who portrays the tragic character, while the rest were primarily produced by the art team, taking the game as their reference point.
In a somewhat different twist to their tale, a heartwarming moment emerged, featuring big brother Henry (played by Lamar Johnson), who creatively used paint to give his little brother Sam a superhero makeover, offering solace during a challenging time.
Mazin possibly called episode 8 (“When We Are in Need”) their “freezing episode,” however, the crew experienced numerous chilly episodes while filming at Waterton Lakes National Park. As Paino put it, “during winter, there’s hardly anyone around” and “there’s about nine feet of snow.” In simpler terms, the resort was deserted and covered in deep snow.
In the breathtaking Waterton region, where Ellie had her encounter with Scott Shepherd’s cannibal cult, Paino recounted their experience by saying, “We climbed a hill, and suddenly, we were all sent tumbling down.” During this 16-month filming stint, no special effects were needed to make us lose our footing and fly. But it’s an amazing location, simply incredible.
In contrast to the sheep and horses seen in a regular pasture during the final episode titled “Look for the Light”, it was not a set or an illusion; instead, the giraffes that seemed to be grazing were genuine, but the filming process had to take place where they naturally resided.
In my role as a lifestyle expert, I’d like to share an intriguing observation. As Joel and Ellie traverse through a downtown Calgary location transformed into a construction site on screen, they ascend a stage-built staircase. This unique scene is reminiscent of a giraffe enclosure with a balcony, where keepers would often feed the magnificent creatures. Over approximately six weeks, we meticulously incorporated real-life surroundings and green screens to create an environment that mirrors the iconic scene of them climbing the rooftop of a dilapidated building, revealing the stunning landscape of Colorado in the distance.
Paino commented wryly, “It seemed like about four minutes from the episode, but it was truly captivating.
Despite its grandeur, the show was also filmed in a more personal, up-close manner, as Paino pointed out. It’s a tale focused on characters rather than sweeping vistas, with fewer moments that shout “behold, ”
Grandeur notwithstanding, Paino noted that the show was also shot in an intimate way. It’s about people, not grand landscapes; there aren’t many scenes that scream “look at this stunning view!
In essence, he clarified that they didn’t aim for sensationalizing disasters. Instead, they wanted to evoke a sense of familiarity and personal connection, like when Ellie searches through an abandoned dwelling and discovers a sewing kit, suggesting, “this was someone’s home, this was someone’s bar.
Paino noted that the intricate aspects which create the chilling atmosphere in the universe of ‘The Last of Us’ were sometimes planned and other times spontaneous. He emphasized their continuous efforts to balance that poignant irony.
They had somehow managed to surreptitiously place a musty, old “Be Back in 5 Minutes” sign that someone had left hanging there for around two decades.
“If I ever have a screensaver,” Paino said, “I think it’ll be that.”
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2025-05-12 05:19