If there’s one thing Pedro Pascal does well, besides being a total heartthrob, it’s dying dramatically on screen. From his eye-popping demise in ‘Game of Thrones‘ as Oberyn Martell to the now-viral, soul-crushing death of Joel in ‘The Last of Us‘ Season 2, this man has been through the wringer.
But, Pascal had revealed that Joel’s death might have been even more traumatizing than Oberyn’s iconic death scene.
Pedro Pascal Still Has Nightmares About That ‘Game of Thrones’ Scene
In 2014, ‘Game of Thrones‘ Season 4 Episode 8, ‘The Mountain and the Viper‘, Pedro Pascal’s character, Prince Oberyn Martell, aka the Red Viper of Dorne, steps into a deadly duel with Ser Gregor Clegane, better known as The Mountain. Fans watched, horrified, as Oberyn was lifted into the air, had his eyes gouged out, and his skull crushed like a melon. Brutal is an understatement. That scene still ranks high among the most shocking ‘Game of Thrones‘ deaths.
In an interview with ComicBook at the Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo, Pascal admitted the aftermath of that scene stayed with him long after filming wrapped. “It gave me nightmares, too,” he said.
He elaborated on how being a fan of ‘Game of Thrones‘ made the entire experience feel even more surreal. “I was so familiar and a fan of the show that the pages of the script were so vivid to me as if I was watching the episodes myself,” Pascal shared. “So when I got to that [scene] and I knew that it was happening, I just was like, ‘Thank God I have a build-up to when.'”
“It won’t traumatize me in the way that it’s going to traumatize everyone else. I had a sort of selfish gratitude that I could be protected from something like that.” That moment became one of the most unforgettable and horrific deaths in HBO history.
Joel’s Death In ‘The Last Of Us’
‘The Last of Us‘ Season 2 Episode 2, ‘Through the Valley‘ aired, and fans were not ready. Pedro Pascal’s character, Joel, meets a tragic end that mirrors the events of the original video game, brutally beaten to death with a golf club by Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever, the daughter of the doctor Joel killed in Season 1.
In case you missed it: Kaitlyn Dever Was Going To Play Ellie In ‘The Last Of Us’ Movie 10 Years Ago, Now She Is Abby In The Show
Pascal knew the character’s fate going in. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he recalled the very transparent pitch from the showrunners. “They’re like, ‘Don’t worry, you’re going to die.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, I’ll take it!‘”, he joked. When asked to compare it with his infamous Game of Thrones death, Pascal didn’t shy away. “I think this is the best one,” he said with a laugh. “No, it’s in competition, I think, with Game of Thrones. It has to be. I love the golf club. I’m going to start golf.“
He also emphasized that Joel’s death was never a shock to him as an actor. “The series is based on very specific source material,” Pascal explained. “That was always a part of the presentation of the idea… We would go all in on Season 1, shoot for 11-12 months in Alberta, and then it would take a totally different shape in the second season.”
Fans Are Still Recovering From Episode 2’s Emotional Earthquake
Episode 2 left ‘The Last of Us’ fandom devastated. The episode titled ‘Through the Valley‘ not only delivered Joel’s gruesome death but also widened the emotional chasm between him and Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, with unspoken words and unfinished apologies lingering like ghosts.
For many fans, the episode perfectly echoed the heartbreak of the video game The Last of Us Part II. Abby’s revenge arc and Ellie’s thirst for justice are already beginning to mirror the dark, cyclical violence of the game. And while longtime players knew what was coming, nothing could prepare audiences for the sheer emotional weight of Joel’s death brought to life on screen. “You going to bridge the gap in this relationship and make it right?” Kaitlyn Dever joked to Pascal during a group interview with EW, poking fun at the dramatic tension.
