The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal is taking a break from trudging through post-apocalyptic America with Bella Ramsey to host Saturday Night Live this week, but it seems he's not off to a great start. A new promo was released hyping up his appearance on the show this weekend, and it's clear he hasn't gotten rid of the jitters that come with avoiding the deadly clickers. He channels his character Joel in the preview, but instead of killing a clicker, he nearly ends the life of one of SNL's unfortunate new hires and jeopardizes the entire production in the process.
This will be Pascal's hosting debut, and it starts innocently enough with the actor taking in the sight of the legendary Studio 8H. His moment of amazement is interrupted by a figure making a racket and scuttling around in the distance, Figuring it must be Lorne Michaels at first, Pascal investigates the dark, ominous backstage of the studio only to hear a familiar sound - a clicker. He handles the situation as Joel would, grabbing a nearby hammer and preparing to bash its brains in until Sarah Sherman and Molly Kearney stop him. That's no ordinary clicker - he has a name and a job! Sherman and Kearney are understandably furious that Pascal nearly brained their new hire Matt, but they let him off the hook just this once. It might seem odd to have a clicker as a castmate, but Pascal is all for a little tinge of crazy on set.
Pascal's debut is looking like a fun one leaning heavily into The Last of Us amidst its historic popularity on HBO. The series has already been renewed for a second season, and it recently saw the release of arguably its best episode yet with Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett playing survivors and lovers Bill and Frank. Pascal won't be the only draw, however, as the band Coldplay will join him as a musical guest. They've been an SNL favorite, playing on the show a staggering six times across their nearly 26 years together. They're also one of the best-selling musical acts of all time with over 100 million albums sold worldwide and a slew of diverse releases including their most recent, 2021's Music of the Spheres.
Pedro Pascal Has Been Wowing Audiences Since Well Before The Last of Us
While Pascal's stock may be at an all-time high with The Last of Us, he's been wowing audiences for some time now. He's hoovered up acclaimed roles on TV for years now, and it all kicked off with his turn as Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones. Since then, he's led both Narcos and The Mandalorian, the latter of which broke viewing records with the trailer for its upcoming third season. On the big screen, he also recently got to star opposite Nicolas Cage in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, further cementing his status as a fan favorite.
Pascal follows up a quite literal heavy hitter on SNL in the form of Creed III star Michael B. Jordan. They're part of a string of three straight first-time hosts along with Aubrey Plaza to open up the New Year for the classic sketch comedy series. SNL is in the midst of its 48th season.
See Pascal make his debut on SNL on Saturday, February 4 at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT on NBC, live-streaming simultaneously on Peacock. All previous episodes are also available on the streamer. Check out the new promo below.