Latest news with #ThroughTheValley
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bella Ramsey Opened Up About "Fixating" On Comparing Themselves To How Ellie Physically Looks In "The Last Of Us" Game
It's no secret that The Last of Us is one of the most talked-about TV shows right now. And at the center of everything is Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie Williams. And while Season 1 of the hit HBO series involved Bella essentially being in almost every scene, alongside Pedro Pascal, Season 2 ups the stakes and makes Bella's Ellie the main leading character. As Ellie's story in Season 2 unfolds, which is based on The Last of Us Part II game from Naughty Dog, audiences will see a ruthless and incredibly skilled fighter who is willing to go to the ends of the earth for the people she loves, especially after the events of Episode 2 titled "Through The Valley." There's also a five-year time jump between the end of Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2, which means Ellie is also older than the last time fans saw her. All of this is to say that in the games, Ellie looks visibly different from how she does in the first game vs. the second. It's easy to age up a video game character, give her more muscles, etc. But for the TV adaptation, that all fell on Bella's shoulders, which is no easy task. Before the start of filming for Season 2, Bella went through intense physical training. They trained in boxing, jiu-jitsu, and weight training. Then, Bella continued training while filming took place, this time alternating between filming and stunt training. HBO / Via And now, in a new cover story with The Hollywood Reporter, Bella is opening up about how they got "fixated" on trying to look exactly like Ellie in the game and how it was a "challenge" to let go of that expectation. Bella told the outlet, "I got quite fixated on the way that Ellie looks in the game and her physical stature and, to be specific, the muscle definition in her arms. And I didn't look like that. My body type isn't that." "I talked about this a lot with Craig [Mazin, the co-creator of the show], and he never put that expectation on me. He wanted me to look strong and feel strong, and that was in how I carried myself, my posture and the confidence you have. It was a challenge for me to let myself off the hook for not looking computer-generated," Bella added. The expectation that Bella somehow needs to look exactly like the video game character is something that continues to swirl on social media, with critics often criticizing how Bella looks compared to Ellie in The Last of Us Part II. They told the Hollywood Reporter the release of the second season is one of the reasons they deleted their social media accounts earlier this year. Bella said, "It wasn't like this big dramatic thing, but there was an element of it that was thinking about the show coming out for Season 2. If I just avoid Twitter and Reddit, which now I'm doing, then everything's totally fine." For the TV show adaptation, the important thing was that Bella feels comfortable doing all of the physically demanding stunts and scenes the show will now demand of them. So it was never a matter of needing to LOOK like Ellie in the game, but rather feel comfortable, which was achieved. Bella added, "It was cool to feel really…capable." Co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckman, who also created the game, have continuously shut down critics who have even gone as far as saying that Bella needed to be recast for Season 2 because they physically looked different than Ellie in the game. Ashley Johnson, who voiced and did the motion capture for Ellie in both games, has also talked about how Bella was the perfect person to be cast as Ellie. Craig doubled down on his praise of Bella, telling The Hollywood Reporter, "I'm not interested in the physical aspect, I'm interested in the emotional maturity and the change in personality. I've watched Bella grow and start to find her own two feet. … And I feel that in Ellie completely." Personally, Bella's ability to emotionally portray Ellie is what is most important, and I'm excited to see them tackle the absolute heartbreak and brutal moments that are still to come in Season 2. You can read Bella's full cover story with The Hollywood Reporter here.
Buzz Feed
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Bella Ramsey Opened Up About "Fixating" On Comparing Themselves To How Ellie Physically Looks In "The Last Of Us" Game
It's no secret that The Last of Us is one of the most talked-about TV shows right now. And at the center of everything is Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie Williams. And while Season 1 of the hit HBO series involved Bella essentially being in almost every scene, alongside Pedro Pascal, Season 2 ups the stakes and makes Bella's Ellie the main leading character. As Ellie's story in Season 2 unfolds, which is based on The Last of Us Part II game from Naughty Dog, audiences will see a ruthless and incredibly skilled fighter who is willing to go to the ends of the earth for the people she loves, especially after the events of Episode 2 titled "Through The Valley." There's also a five-year time jump between the end of Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2, which means Ellie is also older than the last time fans saw her. All of this is to say that in the games, Ellie looks visibly different from how she does in the first game vs. the second. It's easy to age up a video game character, give her more muscles, etc. But for the TV adaptation, that all fell on Bella's shoulders, which is no easy task. Before the start of filming for Season 2, Bella went through intense physical training. They trained in boxing, jiu-jitsu, and weight training. Then, Bella continued training while filming took place, this time alternating between filming and stunt training. Bella Ramsey training for #TheLastofUs Season II 🔥 — The Last of Us News (@TheLastofUsNews) April 8, 2025 HBO / Via And now, in a new cover story with The Hollywood Reporter, Bella is opening up about how they got "fixated" on trying to look exactly like Ellie in the game and how it was a "challenge" to let go of that expectation. Bella told the outlet, "I got quite fixated on the way that Ellie looks in the game and her physical stature and, to be specific, the muscle definition in her arms. And I didn't look like that. My body type isn't that." "I talked about this a lot with Craig [Mazin, the co-creator of the show], and he never put that expectation on me. He wanted me to look strong and feel strong, and that was in how I carried myself, my posture and the confidence you have. It was a challenge for me to let myself off the hook for not looking computer-generated," Bella added. The expectation that Bella somehow needs to look exactly like the video game character is something that continues to swirl on social media, with critics often criticizing how Bella looks compared to Ellie in The Last of Us Part II. They told the Hollywood Reporter the release of the second season is one of the reasons they deleted their social media accounts earlier this year. Bella said, "It wasn't like this big dramatic thing, but there was an element of it that was thinking about the show coming out for Season 2. If I just avoid Twitter and Reddit, which now I'm doing, then everything's totally fine." For the TV show adaptation, the important thing was that Bella feels comfortable doing all of the physically demanding stunts and scenes the show will now demand of them. So it was never a matter of needing to LOOK like Ellie in the game, but rather feel comfortable, which was achieved. Bella added, "It was cool to feel really… capable." HBO Co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckman, who also created the game, have continuously shut down critics who have even gone as far as saying that Bella needed to be recast for Season 2 because they physically looked different than Ellie in the game. Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic for HBO / Getty Images Ashley Johnson, who voiced and did the motion capture for Ellie in both games, has also talked about how Bella was the perfect person to be cast as Ellie. Craig doubled down on his praise of Bella, telling The Hollywood Reporter, "I'm not interested in the physical aspect, I'm interested in the emotional maturity and the change in personality. I've watched Bella grow and start to find her own two feet. … And I feel that in Ellie completely." Personally, Bella's ability to emotionally portray Ellie is what is most important, and I'm excited to see them tackle the absolute heartbreak and brutal moments that are still to come in Season 2.
Buzz Feed
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
The Song At The End Of "The Last Of Us" Season 2, Episode 2 Is Actually A Heartbreaking Easter Egg You Might've Missed
There are obviously MASSIVE spoilers ahead for The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 2! So, if you're like me, then you probably still haven't recovered from the extremely emotionally draining The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 2, aka "Through The Valley," which was directed by Mark Mylod and written by show co-creator Craig Mazin. This episode was one that gamers have been attempting to mentally prepare for. As Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Dina (Isabela Merced) get caught in a blizzard while out on patrol their path collides with Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), who has arrived in Jackson on a mission to kill Joel. It's a brutal scene as Abby brings Joel and Dina back to her group, and proceeds to tell Joel that the Firefly doctor he killed in the Season 1 finale was her dad, and now she's here to kill him and make it slow and painful. Dever gives an award-worthy performance here. No question. In a heartbreaking moment taken directly from The Last of Us Part II game, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) arrives while Joel is already bloody on the floor, struggling to stay awake. It's a sob-inducing moment as Ellie pleads with Joel to get up. However, Abby ultimately deals the final fatal blow. While Joel's death scene is basically a shot-for-shot recreation from the game, the show dives even deeper and makes it arguably more brutal, as we see Abby stab Joel with a broken golf club, and then Ellie crawls over and lays her body over Joel's after Abby and her crew leave. It's a stunning performance by Ramsey, too. HBO Then, in another addition from the game, we see Ellie, Dina, and Jesse (Young Mazino) dragging Joel's body back down the hill to Jackson, which has also just undergone an attack as a horde infiltrated the town's gates. HBO Whew. It's heartbreaking, and even though I knew it was coming, this scene was as much of a gut-punch as when the game was released in 2020. And while all of those moments are devastating, it's actually the music that plays over the final montage as the camera zooms out while Ellie lies on top of Joel, followed by them dragging his body through the snow, that actually made me burst into tears. The song that kicks in is "Through The Valley," which is also the episode's title. It's originally sung by Shawn James, however The Last of Us elects to use a cover that has such a deep connection to the story. The show uses a cover of "Through The Valley" that is sung by Ashley Johnson, who voiced and did the motion capture for Ellie in The Last of Us, the Left Behind DLC, and The Last of Us Part II. Ashley has not only been instrumental in creating the Ellie — so much of her real personality is infused in this character — but she's also been nominated three times for the BAFTA Games Award for Best Performer in a Leading Role for her work in The Last of Us, and she's won the award twice. And, she notably guest-starred as Anna, Ellie's mom, in the Season 1 finale, where we see how she gave birth to Ellie after getting bitten by an infected. Speaking about appearing in the show, Ashley told Deadline in 2023, "The layers of that are certainly not lost on me. It makes me emotional pretty much every time I think about it because this world and this project is so important to me and has been for a decade." So now, Season 2 has added another emotional connection between Ashley and this adaptation by using her memorable cover of "Through The Valley," which was originally used in a teaser trailer when Naughty Dog announced The Last of Us Part II in 2016. The scene was never actually used in the game; however, the song can be heard when Joel comes into Ellie's room to give her a guitar. Speaking on HBO's official The Last of Us podcast, Mazin discussed the decision to incorporate Ashley's cover of the song into the show, saying, "Ashley isn't just Ellie in the game, she's also now, in our show, Ellie's mother. And there's this ghostly sound of the other person who loved Ellie as much as Joel did. And what she is singing about is not good news in the end, even though Jackson is saved, even though Ellie survives. Someone's soul might be damned. And that is rough." Mazin also told Entertainment Weekly,"It is an interesting thing in a moment like this, when your only parent is taken from you [and] the parent you've never met, the one you don't even know about, is there watching." Using Ashley's "Through The Valley" cover from the teaser also connects to Ellie's line in the show where she threatens to kill "every last one" of Abby's group because that's exactly how the teaser trailer ended too. There's something so incredibly special about how The Last of Us TV show has honored the original voice and motion capture actors. Like Ashley, Season 1 featured a handful of them, including Troy Baker, who played Joel in the games, and even Laura Bailey, who played Abby. HBO Merle Dandridge notably reprised her role as Marlene from the games, and Jeffrey Pierce, who played Tommy, appeared as Perry in Season 1. Jeffrey Wright, who played Isaac in the games, is also reprising his role in Season 2. Basically, I adore these nods to the video game actors and also, man, we are about to enter an absolutely brutal period for Ellie, and I honestly cannot wait to see her destroy Seattle.
Buzz Feed
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Well, "The Last Of Us" Just Gave Us A Heartbreaking TV Episode, And Everyone Has The Same Reactions Because They Are So Accurate
🚨 There are massive — and I mean MASSIVE — spoilers ahead for The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 2! 🚨 Well, everyone. We've finally reached the moment video game fans have been dreading for years. The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 2 — titled "Through The Valley," directed by Mark Mylod and written by Criag Mazin — delivered not only one of the biggest infected battles the show has seen to date, but also a brutal death of a beloved character. This episode featured Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Dina (Isabela Merced) out on patrol when a blizzard hit, which causes them to run directly into Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), who arrived on the outskirts of Jackson with her crew in the last episode. It's right here that, as a huge fan of the video game, I started to sweat because I knew what was around the corner. As Abby takes Joel and Dina back to her crew, it's there that we witness the live-action adaptation of one of the most heartbreaking character deaths. Period. After telling Joel that the Firefly doctor he killed in order to save Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in Season 1 was her father, Abby tortures and kills Joel — all while Dina is drugged and knocked unconscious. Of course, what makes the episode even more tragic is Ellie walking in on the whole thing, but it's too late. And she watches Joel (aka her father) ultimately die. And if that wasn't enough, the episode also includes the biggest infected fight when a horde of infected, including a massive bloater, converge on Jackson, with Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and others left to defend the town. So, naturally, fans took to Twitter to voice their heartbreak over this latest episode and make some incredible jokes and give A+ commentary about "Through The Valley." So, here are some of the best tweets about The Last of Us Season 2, Episode 2: Editor's Note: While we can't endorse what X has become, we can bring you the worthwhile moments that still exist there, curated and free of the surrounding chaos. 1. joel couldn't save his daughter, so he protected every goddamn teenage girl until it killed him #TheLastOfUs — emma 🍓 tlou s2 spoilers (@urbluestdays) April 21, 2025 HBO / Via 2. this single shot from #thelastofus is going to haunt me — Nora Dominick (@noradominick) April 21, 2025 HBO / Via 3. 4. 5. When i saw them dragging joel's body wrapped in a sheet behind the horses — joel resurrection (@pedrobrinas) April 21, 2025 HBO / Via 6. this moment was crazy — sapphixated (@sapphix8ed) April 21, 2025 HBO / Via 7. HE GOT HER ASS SO BAD WITH THAT ONE 👏🏻 #thelastofus #TheLastOfUsSeason2 — 𝗦𝗔𝗩 ♡ | 𝗧𝗟𝗢𝗨 𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗦 (@pascalfanatic) April 21, 2025 HBO / Via 8. hated every single second of her performance (incredibly complimentary) — zoë rose bryant (@zoerosebryant) April 21, 2025 HBO / Via Twitter: @zoerosebryant 9. kaitlyn dever filmed this episode THREE DAYS after her mom's funeral. a story about grief and loss being so connected to kaitlyn in so many ways just makes me even more in awe of her #thelastofus — Nora Dominick (@noradominick) April 21, 2025 HBO / Via 10. no 💔 #TheLastOfUs — pedro pascal gifs (@pascalsarchive) April 21, 2025 HBO / Via 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. A24 / Via 17. 18. 19. 20. That was genuinely one of the best episodes of television ever. The writing, the dialogue, the action, the tension building up, the sense of danger hanging over the entirety of the episode, the action, and ofcourse the incredible acting performances. #TheLastOfUs — ES 🌙 (@dinmurdock) April 21, 2025 HBO / Via 21. 22.
Time of India
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
The Last of Us season 2 episode 2: How the show changed Joel's death from the Naughty Dog game
It's hard to say it out loud, but Joel is dead. The Last of Us season 2 episode 2 left everyone in tears as Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever, kills our beloved Joel, portrayed by Pedro Pascal. Yes, it feels unreal, the show just won't be the same without our six-foot-tall protagonist. But since it happened in the game, it had to happen in the show too. While the core of Joel's death remained the same in both the game and the series, there were some noticeable differences. Let's dive into what the show did differently and how the original Naughty Dog game portrayed this heartbreaking moment. (Spoilers ahead, you know what to do) The Last of Us HBO Season 2 Episode 2 featured the song Through The Valley and the cover done by Ashley Johnson who plays Ellie in the video game 🔥🎵 How The Last Of Us Season 2 portrayed Joel's death differently from the original Naughty Dog video game Who is with Joel when he passes away is one of the main distinctions between his death in the game and the program. In the program, he is with Dina (Isabela Merced), however in the game, he is with his brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna). Tommy stays in Jackson and assists in protecting the community from a wave of Infected. Another little distinction is that, in the game, Abby's final stroke with her golf club is directed toward Joel's skull, whereas in the program, Abby pierces Joel's neck. Kaityn Dever says, "You don't get to rush this' just like the video game. The Last of Us Part 2 - Joel's Death How does Ellie react to Joel's death? Despite the strained bond they had, Ellie cries for Joel to wake up before crawling over and lying on top of his lifeless body expressing that her life won't be the same again. Joel's death has left fans reeling, with many mourning the loss of a character they never imagined the show without. You can watch The Last Of Us Season 2 on JioHotstar.
