After proving themselves just as formidable a duo offscreen as they are when cameras are rolling, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey have captured hearts and minds across the world for their phenomenal lead performances in The Last of Us.
As the single best-reviewed live-action video game adaptation of all-time – as well as a ratings smash hit that’s looking like surefire awards season sensation – it would be reasonable to assume the dynamic duo will be rewarded with a hefty salary increase once contracts are finalized for the sophomore season.
Pascal was already pocketing a pretty penny for tackling the role of Joel, which was to be expected given his status as a massively popular and hugely in-demand star that already headlined one of the biggest shows on the planet via The Mandalorian, but a transparent attempt to manufacture outrage over the pay disparity has instead ended in nothing but mockery.
While there’s definitely a seismic chasm between those figures, it’s obviously worth noting that Ramsey was a relatively unproven teenager when The Last of Us began production, although their career is now poised to be launched into the stratosphere. As a result, it didn’t take long for incredulity to reign supreme in the comments and replies.
Ramsey is 100 percent due a significant pay bump when season 2 kicks off, and they’re no doubt going to get it, but trying to turn The Last of Us into some damning indictment on the ongoing salary discrepancies doesn’t hold much water when Pascal exists on a completely different level of stardom, especially when he needed to be pried away from the majority of The Mandalorian‘s on-set activities to lend his talents to The Last of Us in the first place.