Will Pedro Pascal Emmys Lead of Supporting for the last of us submit?
Spoiler alert: This story contains spoilers from “Through the Valley”, the second episode of “The Last of Us” season 2, now streams on Max.
The fate of Pedro Pascal in this year’s Emmy Awards race remains uncertain, because HBO/Max and his Awards team deliberate which category best fits in with its performance in season 2 of “The Last of US”: Lead Drama Actor of Supporting.
Pascal’s representation of Joel Miller in the post-apocalyptic drama is again criticizing this season, since his screen time took a dramatic shift on Sunday evening. In the second episode, entitled ‘Through the Valley’, Joel’s storyline reaches a shocking turning point. During a routine patrol in a snowstorm outside Jackson, Wyoming, Joel Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) saves a hurdle, only to be led in a fall. Abby, driven by revenge after Joel had killed her father in the final of season 1, brutally hits him with a golf club after he had shot him in his leg. And then, with the broken, sharp point of the same club, Abby puts him in the neck while his surrogate daughter Ellie (Bella Ramsey) looks into fear.
Although the episode reflects the events of the video game on which the series is based, it leaves room for Pascal to release this season in later episodes via Flashbacks. Even if his screen time is limited, new Emmy rules disqualify Pascal to participate in the Guest Actor (Drama) category. The recent control artists of the Television Academy Change Bars of submitting as guests in Roles for which they have already been nominated in main or supporting categories. This rule also affects some earlier nominees in other categories that would normally compete as a guest, such as Meryl Streep in Hulu comedy “Alone murders in the building”. According to normal rules, if an artist appears in less than 50% of the episodes of the respective season, they could submit as a guest.
Nevertheless, this will be a crucial choice for the Pascal team. Sources in the vicinity of the actor and HBO/Max say that no definitive choice has been made, although speculation is mounted and some expect the star to fight again for a nomination in the Lead Actor (Drama) category.
That potential decision would bear both prestige and pressure.
In 2023 Pascal History wrote as the second Latino ever nominated in the Lead Drama Actor category and joined Jimmy Smits. He also became the most nominated Latino in one year and nods for “The Last of Us” (main drama actor), “Saturday night live” (guest comedy actor) and “Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World” (narrator).
If he returns to the main actor, Pascal would be confronted with a very competitive field that is currently led by Adam Scott for Apple TV +’s “Severance” and Noah Wyle for “The Pitt”, another HBO/Max -Originel.
The supporting actor (drama) category, on the other hand, is even busier, although possibly more open. Candidates are a stacked ensemble of “The White Lotus” with Walton Goggins, Sam Rockwell, Jason Isaacs, Sam Nivola and Patrick Schwarzenegger, as well as “Severance” co-star John Turturro, Tramell Tillman, Christopher Walkken and Zach Cherry. A potential mood splitting could benefit a overdue veteran such as Pascal.
Pascal’s Co -star Young Mazin is reportedly the only other eligible “The Last of Us” actor who has been confirmed for the supporting race, although it remains unclear whether Gabriel Luna, who plays Joel’s brother Tommy, will be submitted in guest or support.
If Pascal submits to supporting and earning a nomination, he would only be the fifth Latino that is recognized in the category. Previous Latino -Honores are winners Albert Paulsen for “Bob Hope presents the Chrysler Theater,” Edward James Olmos for “Miami Vice” and Smits for “La Law”, together with the last nominated Freddy Rodriguez for “Six Feet Under”.
In the meantime, Precedent offers little clarity. In 2023, Brian Cox remained in the main actor (drama) category for ‘follow -up’ despite the death of his character in episode 3 of the last season. Coincidentally, in the same year, Pascal assured his first main drama nomination for season 1 of ‘The Last of Us’. Cox and Pascal eventually lost to the “follow -up” actor Kieran Culkin.
Now, in a moment when Cox’s Emmy Conundrum reflects, Pascal is confronted with his own intersection. Whether he competes between leads or in the ever -unpredictable supporting field, one thing is certain: the legacy of Joel Miller – and the Emmy trip of Pascal – will be one of the most discussed moments of this Emmy season.
