Highly-anticipated video game adaptation The Last of Us arrives on both HBO and Sky later this month, with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the lead roles of Joel and Ellie - however, this wasn't always to be the case.
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In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, game creator and co-creator of the show Neil Druckmann revealed that one of Ramsey's Game of Thrones co-stars was originally in the running to play Ellie - Arya Stark star Maisie Williams.
Druckmann said that when casting Ellie, the team were looking for someone who could appear "tough and vulnerable and wise beyond [their] years and also have a potential for violence", with this high bar meaning they saw "dozens and dozens" of actors for the role.
One of these was Williams, who Druckmann spoke with about the role early on, when the plan was still for the game to be adapted into a film rather than a series.
Maisie Williams as Arya Stark in Game of Thrones. Home Box Office, Inc.
The publication also reports that Booksmart star Kaitlyn Dever even did a table read for the role, but as with Williams, this was for a part in a film. By the time the project became a series with HBO, both actors had aged out of consideration.
On why Ramsey was right for the role, Druckmann said that on viewing her initial audition tape, he found that she was "like Ellie realised in live action – it didn't feel like watching an actor".
Meanwhile, Druckmann's co-creator Craig Mazin said that Ramsey's audition "felt so real".
The first full trailer for the series was revealed in September last year, giving game fans their first proper look at Ramsey and Pascal in their roles.
Since Game of Thrones, Williams has gone on to star in films such as The New Mutants and series such as Pistol, while she is also set to star in upcoming Apple TV+ series The New Look.
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
