Bella Ramsey explains why they found The Last of Us season two ‘so much harder’

Bella Ramsey has explained why filming The Last of Us season two was “so much harder” to film than the first outing.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for episode two and episode six of The Last of Us season two.

Episode six of The Last of Us season two delivered the season’s most bittersweet moment yet, with the return of Pedro Pascal’s doting dad figure Joel in flashback scenes.

Following Joel’s brutal murder at the hands of Firefly Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) in episode two, fans thought they had seen the last of Pascal in one of his best TV roles to date.

Yet episode six played as a full-length flashback episode, featuring the building and splintering of Ellie and Joel’s relationship in the four year gap between the end of season one and the start of season two.

While The Last of Us aficionados were thrilled to see more on-screen time between Ellie and Joel, they also experienced the harrowing realisation that it is likely the last time we’ll see the duo together again.

Yet that realisation is harder for none more so than Bella Ramsey, who has found a friend and a mentor in Pedro Pascal since filming season one back in 2021.

Speaking to British GQ, the 21-year-old star explained how Joel’s departure from the show had a huge impact on their filming experience this time around.

“Every moment with Pedro I tried to cherish. It definitely did feel like the end was looming… And the realisation that we were never going to get to do [this] again, in this capacity anyway, was sort of like a grief in itself,” they explained.

“We’ve spent so much time together, and have relied so heavily on each other, in this epic experience. We’d both been in Game of Thrones, obviously. But this was different, and life-altering, for both of us.”

Since season one filmed, Pascal and Ramsey have fostered one of Hollywood’s primo friendships, with the pair frequently gushing over their affection for each other.

“I definitely felt his absence. And whenever he did come back to set this season for the stuff that he was in, I would realise how much I missed him, and how much I valued him being there as a constant in season one,” Ramsey continued.

“I think I knew there was a gratitude for Pedro, [but] the time that we shared together was unlocked this season, in the absence of him. [I’d look] back at season one and [be] like, ‘Wow, I don’t know how I would’ve done that without you. Because I’m doing season two without you…’ But it was harder.

“Season two was so much harder for me in so many ways, but I think one of the factors of that was definitely not having Pedro there, and losing such a key dynamic, and a constant in him, and a familiarity.”

The Last of Us continues on Sundays on HBO in the US and Mondays on NOW in the UK.

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