the last of us

Jeffrey Wright Joins Season 2 of HBO Hit Series ‘The Last of Us’

by
Jeffrey Wright Joins Season 2 of HBO Hit Series ‘The Last of Us’

Academy Award nominee Jeffrey Wright has joined the cast of The Last of Us season 2 to portray the live-action version of Isaac, the character he voiced in the video game series. Isaac is the leader of the Washington Liberation Front, a militia group initially fighting for liberty but now facing a different battle in a post-Clicker world.

According to Deadline, Wright isn’t the only new addition to the cast. The second season will also feature Gabriel Luna, Isabela Merced, Young Mazino, Kaitlyn Dever, and Catherine O’Hara, alongside returning stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. Additionally, Tati Gabrielle was reported to be joining the cast.

Series creators, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, have are enthusiastic about their commitment to please both video game fans and live-action series fans by casting the game’s voice actors in the show. Smart move. To that point, Merle Dandridge, who played Marlene in the video game, reprised her role in the first season.

Speaking about The Last of Us Part II, Druckmann told GQ, “Some of the stuff I’m most excited for [in Part 2] are the changes we’ve discussed and seeing the story come to life again in this other version. And I think it’s exciting because it leans into those feelings you had from the game, really heavily, in a new way.” The creators have revealed that there will be more than one season to cover the storyline in The Last of Us Part II.

The post Jeffrey Wright Joins Season 2 of HBO Hit Series ‘The Last of Us’ first appeared on The Source.

The post Jeffrey Wright Joins Season 2 of HBO Hit Series ‘The Last of Us’ appeared first on The Source.

‘The Last of Us’ Star Storm Reid Wins First Emmy Award in Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

by
GettyImages 1913633379 compress

Storm Reid won her first major award at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony on Saturday. This phase of the awards precedes the main Emmy Awards ceremony that will be held on Jan. 15. ICYMI, Reid took home Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her compelling role, playing Riley Abel in the hit post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us. 

The 28-year-old actress won in a competitive category with fellow cast members from The Last of Us, Melanie Lynskey and Anna Torv. Other nominees were actresses from Succession: Hiam Abbass, Cherry Jones, and Harriet Walter. 

For history’s sake, she is the youngest winner in a guest acting category, after 28-year-old Lee You-mi took down the award for Squid Game in 2022.

“I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into when I signed on to be Riley in The Last of Us. I knew it was going to be special, but I didn’t know it was gonna be quite this special,” Reid spoke backstage, as reported by Deadline. “I’m just so grateful to the show for allowing me to really, re-fall in love with storytelling.

“It’s not that I fell out of love with storytelling, but I think my role in The Last of Us really reinforced my love and passion to be able to tell meaningful stories and to be a representation for young women, young Black women, young, queer Black women. I’m grateful to Bella, Craig [Mazin] and the entire team for making the show. It was absolutely special to watch and I always say that I feel like I would be a big fan of the show, even if I wasn’t a part of the show.”

The post ‘The Last of Us’ Star Storm Reid Wins First Emmy Award in Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series first appeared on The Source.

The post ‘The Last of Us’ Star Storm Reid Wins First Emmy Award in Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series appeared first on The Source.

PETA Shares “Last Of Us”-Inspired Ad Blaming Meat For The Apocalypse

by

PETA has released a new commercial that will air ahead of The Last of Us, this weekend, to warn against the dangers of eating meat. In doing so, the ad pokes fun at the new hit series for HBO. The commercial, titled “The Don’t List,” features a girl who appears to take inspiration from Bella Ramsey’s character, Ellie, on The Last of Us.

Throughout the commercial, the young girl walks through a destroyed city while listing off typical rules that parents give their children. Notably, she mentioned never being told not to consume “meat or dairy,” before implying that’s the cause of the apocalyptic scenario.

“The Last Of Us” L.A. Premiere

The Los Angeles premiere of HBO’s original series “The Last of Us” held at Regency Village Theater on January 9, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)

“You said it was your job to protect me. You were always telling me what not to do. ‘Don’t run with a lollipop in your mouth, don’t touch the light socket, don’t go near the stove, don’t chase a ball into the street, don’t talk with strangers online. Don’t do this and don’t do that because you could get hurt.’ But you never said, ‘Don’t eat meat or dairy.’ Now look what you’ve done,” the girl says in the ad.

“The horrors portrayed in The Last of Us are imaginary, but as Greta Thunberg has made clear, kids will face a truly dire future if we continue pumping greenhouse gases from meat and dairy production into the atmosphere,” said PETA executive vice president Tracy Reiman in a statement. “No parent wants to doom their children to an inhospitable planet, which is why PETA is urging them to feed them vegan before it’s too late.”

Sunday’s episode of The Last of Us will be the show’s season one finale. The series has been a hit for HBO since premiering earlier this year. The first five episodes averaged almost 30 million viewers for the network. In January 2023, HBO renewed it for a second season, which will be based on The Last of Us Part II video game.

PETA’s New Commercial

[Via]

Pedro Pascal On “Hot Ones”: Actor Discusses “The Last Of Us” And “Game Of Thrones” Roles

by

Claded in a hot red casual suit, Pedro Pascal feasted on a bunch of spicy chicken wings as he answered questions about the process of making TV shows like The Last of Us, Game of Thrones, and The Mandalorian. The Chile-born actor awed fans on Hot Ones, expressing composure as though he wasn’t devouring fiery food. Sean Evans, the show’s host firstly began by welcoming the 47-year-old actor on the show. His guest replied, “Thank you for having me. I’m so glad for the opportunity to finally be taken seriously for once.”

As he spoke about some of his most recent acting projects, Pascal described his creative sci-fi partner, Grogu, aka Baby Yoda in Disney’s original Star Wars series as a very cooperative and fulfilling partner. He went on to admit that it was pretty crazy having to say goodbye to his friend in season two. Elsewhere in the interview, we heard about the beloved actor’s childhood and his love for the theater.

Pedro Pascal’s Childhood and the Theater

Brushing through his family’s relocation to California at a young age, the actor talked about his time at the South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, There, his mother enrolled him in the community theater. Clearly, this push from his family matriarch lead Pascal down the right path, as he’s now one of Hollywood’s most beloved heroes.

Talking a bit about his knowledge of the making of heavily costumed movie scenes, Pascal mentioned the disdain he feels while watching a movie where he can pinpoint some excesses. He additionally described the infamous bloody scenes from Game of Thrones in which his eyes were brutally gouged out. Elsewhere, he shared that the final laps of Equalizer were the most relaxing, and he was able to catch up on some quality sleep. 

On social media so far, fans of the foreign star are commending his composure while chowing down on hot wings with Sean Evans. Which of Pedro Pascal’s previous roles has been your favourite? Let us know in the comments below, and make sure to check in with HNHH later for more pop culture news updates.

[Via]

Pedro Pascal Jokes About FIlming “The Last of Us” During “SNL” Monologue

by

Pedro Pascal opened Saturday Night Live, over the weekend, with a monologue in which he joked about his highly successful HBO series, The Last of Us. The series is based on a video game for PlayStation of the same name.

“I spent the last year shooting The Last of Us on HBO,” he said to the live audience. “For some, HBO shows you get to shoot in five-star Italian resorts surrounded by beautiful people. But I said, ‘No, that’s too easy.’ I want to shoot in a freezing Canadian forest while being chased around by a guy whose head looks like a genital wart.” Pascal was likely referencing HBO’s other popular series, The White Lotus. Season 2 of the show, which just finished airing in December, took place at a water-side resort in Italy.

HOLLYWOOD, CA – AUGUST 24: Actor Pedro Pascal attends the Season 2 premiere of Netflix’s “Narcos” at ArcLight Cinemas on August 24, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

From there, Pascal spoke about the “honor” it is to star in so many wildly popular film and television franchises. He starred in Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and now The Last of Us. For Star Wars, Pascal currently stars in the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian. Season 3 of the show is dropping on March 1. As for Game of Thrones, Pascal played Oberyn Martell in Season 4.

Pascal previously discussed his appearance on SNL during an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. At the time, Pascal admitted he is afraid to host the legendary show.

“I think it’s the top at everybody’s bucket list, I am scared,” Pascal said. There’s like a wall of sheer terror I think that you start with, and then it’s such a well-oiled machine, everybody’s so amazing and talented, and they take these, you know, blocks of white-hot terror apart for you with big cue cards.”

Check out Pedro Pascal’s opening monologue for Saturday Night Live below. Coldplay served as the musical guest for the episode. Elsewhere in the show, the cast tackled the Chinese spy balloon as well as Mario Kart, and more.

[Via]

Linda Ronstadt Won’t Make Any Money From ‘The Last Of Us’ Using Her Song ‘Long, Long Time’

by
linda ronstadt
Getty Image

Depending on your level of familiarity with how publishing rights work in the recording industry, it may surprise you (or not) to learn that despite the resurgence of interest in Linda Ronstadt‘s 1970 hit “Long, Long Time,” the retired singer won’t make any money from the licensing that prompted it.

According to Billboard, streams of the song on Spotify jumped nearly 5,000% after the third episode of HBO’s sci-fi thriller The Last Of Us aired. The episode prominently featured the song, with two different characters singing it during a pivotal moment and two other characters listening to it as the episode ends. Meanwhile, on-demand streaming across all services increased from 8,000 the day before the episode to 149,000 the day after.

So, why won’t Ronstadt get paid for all that?

Well, per the details of her original Capitol Records contract, she never owned the master rights for the song, which was her first Billboard hit (it peaked at No. 25). Meanwhile, the song’s writer, Gary White, will still see his share coming in, for which Ronstadt expressed gratitude: “I still love the song and I’m very glad that Gary will get a windfall,” she said.

Besides, even if she had owned them, in 2021, she joined the slew of legacy artists who sold their master recording ownership rights, meaning Iconic Artist Group. The trend of artists selling their catalogs has swept the industry, consolidating much of music ownership with a handful of investment groups — for better or worse.

Ronstadt doesn’t feel like she missed out, though. According to her manager, the surge of interest will help her upcoming work, such as a planned biopic with James Keach, and her books, the most recent of which was released late last year.

Annie Wersching, Of “24” & “Last Of Us” Fame Dies At 45

by

Annie Wersching, an actress who appeared in the series, 24, the video game, The Last of Us, and more, has passed away at the age of 45. Wersching’s husband, Stephen Full, confirmed her death in a statement provided to Deadline. She passed in Los Angeles on Sunday morning.

“There is a cavernous hole in the soul of this family today. But she left us the tools to fill it. She found wonder in the simplest moment,” Full said, before adding, “She didn’t require music to dance. She taught us not to wait for adventure to find you. ‘Go find it. It’s everywhere.’ And find it we shall.”

BURBANK, CA – MAY 21: Actress Annie Wersching attends the 2017 ABC/Disney Media Distribution International Upfront at Walt Disney Studio Lot on May 21, 2017 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)

He continued: “As I drove our boys, the true loves of her life, down the winding driveway and street, she would yell BYE! until we were out of earshot and into the world. I can still hear it ringing. Bye my Buddie. ‘I love you little family…’”

Wersching was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, although it was not specified which type.

Plenty of Wersching’s collaborators over the years spoke out on social media in the wake of her passing.

“We just lost a beautiful artist and human being. My heart is shattered. Thoughts are with her loved ones,” tweeted Neil Druckmann, creator of The Last of Us.

He added: “I miss my silly friend who helped bring Tess to life. Annie, you left us way too soon. You will forever be part of the TLoU & Naughty Dog family!”

Wersching portrayed Tess in the original The Last of Us. She also has appeared in Bosch, Timeless, The Vampire Diaries, Runaways, The Rookie, and Star Trek: Picard.

Annie Wersching is survived by her husband, as well as their two children, Freddie, 12, and Ozzie, 9.

[Via]