Pedro Pascal says he ‘completely forgot’ that he was offered lead role in The Last of Us

Actor has won millions of new fans for his gruff, grizzled portrayal of the HBO epic’s anti-hero

Pedro Pascal has admitted that he has little memory of the moment he was offered the lead role of Joel in The Last of Us.

The actor may have won millions of new fans for his gruff, grizzled portrayal of the antihero in HBO’s epic video game adaptation – but he’s not exactly clear on how he got there.

Talking about landing the role while on the newest episode of The Graham Norton Show, Pascal said: “It is a bit hazy because I had stayed up very late meeting everyone and was very excited, so I took a sleeping tablet.

“When they called to offer me the part, I was so drowsy they had to repeat the offer.

“I then forgot that completely and when I woke up the following morning, I thought because of the time difference between London and LA, I would be waiting by the phone all day to hear if I got the job!”

In what will be the last episode in the current season of The Graham Norton Show, airing on Friday 24 February, the actor also discussed his role in the new series of The Mandalorian.

In another interview, The Last of Us’s director revealed that Pascal cried off-camera to help his co-star play an emotional reunion scene.

Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ (HBO)

The Last of Us’s creators were also recently branded “pretentious” by fans after it was revealed they “banned” the word “zombie” on set.