HBO’s The Last of Us reaches one billion viewers - is 2023 the year of Pedro Pascal?

The magnitude of success that HBO’s latest must-see series, The Last Of Us, has received since its debut at the start of the year continues. If finally turning Pedro Pascal into a household name and demonstrating the superb, mature acting talents of Bella Ramsay wasn’t enough to solidify its overwhelming triumph on television, the latest Nielsen ratings surely do demonstrate its monumental appeal.

Variety has reported that over the past measuring period, the series passed a billion views in one week for the first time, hitting approximately 1.2 billion. What makes this number even more spectacular for the show is that Nielsen only covers “important” shows on streaming platforms such as HBO Max. Five episodes were on HBO Max when the 1.2 billion was tallied, each running anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and 20 minutes.

Perhaps as important as the television viewership has also been the sentiments among some of the most divisive fans of a pop culture format in modern times; the video gaming crowd. Already burned by a series of film adaptations from video game franchises that flopped - and the concern now that Blumhouse has picked up Dead By Daylight as a new property to adapt - the consensus from fans of The Last Of Us video game has been overwhelmingly positive.

Google Reviews indicate as such, with one of the top-rated reviews from audiences writing “a video game adaptation worthy of seeing! It just goes to show what can happen when you follow the source material, bring on the same people responsible for the success of the game, pour your heart into it, and have the original creator take the helm.”

The Last of Us has proven to be an overwhelming success, with studios now looking at other video game franchises for the next big crossover hit. But would they have the same sentiment if it weren’t for Pedro Pascal’s performances - and his omnipotence as the internet’s favourite “daddy.”

Purple patch for Pedro Pascal in 2023

It’s been a prolific start to 2023 for Pedro Pascal; though known to television viewers for his roles in HBO’s Game of Thrones and Netflix’s acclaimed series, Narcos, it does feel that his utterance as a household name has finally transcended from the cult, almost Wild West, forged in granite character work to appearing on The Graham Norton Show and even Lad Bible getting in on the action.

… and a lot of this could boil down to two roles that he has been celebrated for; playing Joel in The Last of Us, and playing The Mandalorian in Disney+’s sci-fi western of the same name. Both characters have a nomadic, stoic presence about them but deep down inside, the moral compass for both characters is still very strong.

Take for example Joel from The Last of Us - traumatised by the death of a loved one from the opening episode, Pedro Pascal’s older, slightly jaded character has been played to perfection by the Chilean actor. Juggling the responsibility of looking after Ellie while keeping his emotions toned down, it’s a multi-faceted performance from Pascal that manages to convey the despondency, and yet the hopefulness, the character has faced so far.

With The Mandalorian, the first season set up the morality of his character. A bounty hunter in the ilk of cult favourite Boba and Jango Fett, Pascal’s character grows a close attachment to the frequently memed Grogu (aka “Baby Yoda”) and towards the end of the first season, decides to hand over the innocent, tiny green creature.

A tough exterior with a soft centre - very much a trope one would find in some of the finest Western films of the golden age of cinema. Pascal’s appeal on camera is the blend of a stoic presence with a sensitive side deep down. Deep, deep down when it comes to The Mandalorian.

Though movie success has eluded Pedro Pascal so far (he starred in the panned 2022 Netflix film, The Bubble, and had a co-starring role in Kingsman: The Golden Circle), perhaps with the spotlight now firmly on him his next two roles in cinema might gather a little more interest with Pascal front and centre rather than a supporting player.

He is set to appear opposite Ethan Hawke in the Western short film, A Strange Way of Life, directed by renowned Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, and Freaky Tales, written and directed by Captain Marvel team Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.

Those who might point out that he starred opposite Nic Cage in the 2022 film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent was a success for Pascal, our rebuttal is a simple one - that movie was always about Nic Cage and Nic Cage alone.

The Last of Us is streaming now on HBO Max in the US and Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom. The Mandalorian: Season 4 begins streaming on Disney+ on March 24 2023.