The moment we were all been waiting for – the Pedro Pascal episode of Hot Ones – is finally here. He of course discusses both The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, as he is the man of the moment.
In the episode, he discusses how Grogu is as a scene partner with interviewer Sean Evans. “There’s two of them [puppets]. One is remote and you can carry him around. His head will move around, his ears, he can turn towards you as you’re holding him and stuff like that, and kinda be alive. And then, for a good close up, he’s connected to – y’know, the Pentagon, it’s these wires – that’s where you get the really detailed eyebrow movements and eyeballs moving around. He’s a very cooperative and fulfilling scene partner, acting partner.”
Pascal says that Grogu is a little scene-stealer; “It’s pretty crazy. Having to say goodbye to him in season two. Getting praise for having such subtle emotion while dealing with a puppet. And I’m like; ‘this puppet is making me cry!’ I’m like; ‘damn! Chill, you’re stealing it. It’s the one time I take my helmet off, let me have the scene, bro.'”
Pascal plays a reluctant-but-gradually-softening father figure in both The Last of Us and The Mandalorian. In The Last of Us, he must help 14 year old orphan Ellie (Bella Ramsay) across the country, to get her to a lab where her blood can be tested – potentially leading to a vaccine against the Infected. In The Mandalorian, he feels duty-bound to protect his bounty – who is best-known as Baby Yoda.
Away from protecting children, Pascal’s upcoming projects include comedy movie The Uninvited, Freaky Tales directed by Captain Marvel directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, thriller movie Tropico co-starring Willem Dafoe, and My Dentist’s Murder Trial co-starring David Harbour.