Co-creator, Craig Mazin, explains why he wanted Pedro Pascal's character Joel to go to therapy in the second season of 'The Last of Us.' Plus, he describes why they cast Kaitlyn Dever as Abby and how he supports the cast, dealing with the emotionally grueling subject matter.
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00:00So I heard it was your idea to send Joel the therapy this season
00:03how why was that something you wanted to do I
00:06We talked about it in season one and and I I just kept thinking in a in a in a post-apocalyptic world
00:13Which is a barter economy what would be useful and what would not be useful. So like real estate not useful
00:19Doctor useful somebody you fix shoes useful
00:23therapist
00:24Incredibly useful everybody who's left is hurting everybody and from that we you know
00:31I actually wrote a scene for the first season didn't fit for time
00:34And so we relocated it here
00:36And I'm so glad we did because it takes on
00:38Much more interesting dimensions in this season the way Catherine O'Hara's character integrates with some of the other people in the story including
00:45a character that has been referenced in the games, but never seen before is
00:50Really it's really cool and
00:52It also gives us a chance to see
00:55I'm visiting what people tell their therapists. You think they're always telling the therapist the truth
01:02What are the parts they don't tell therapists? That's where it gets interesting
01:06And how did you decide Caitlin as Abby and she was kind of the right choice there well for starters
01:11It's Caitlin Deaver, so you're already thinking okay?
01:16We need somebody who can stand on her own
01:20Does the hero as the villain as somebody we love as somebody we're confused by somebody we root for and against
01:27they have to make us connect to them in this deep way and
01:31Caitlin just has a I don't know this profound nature
01:35There's a depth there, and you I always say they're actors that you you want to hang out with
01:39But then they're actors you want to hug
01:42She's both at the same time. That's what's so amazing about her
01:45And she also has an interesting history because many years ago Neil was thinking about making it to a movie
01:50They were talking to a younger much younger Caitlin Deaver about playing Ellie, so she's kind of always been in the family
01:55She loves the game Neil and I sat down with her, and it was sort of like oh, yeah, what are we doing?
02:00That's yes the answer is yes, if she says yes, we're saying yes
02:03That's a very fun full circle moment there and obviously the show can get very dark and grueling
02:08How do you kind of support the cast and all of that and kind of getting in and out of that mentally and for yourself?
02:13Well, that's a great question so I'm personally sort of obsessed with everybody's mental health in general
02:20We are doing a lot of dark stuff
02:22I think sometimes it's less what people think people may think it's the dark scenes the difficult
02:28Dialogue those emotions that are it a lot of what we can the actors are very good at kind of
02:34Letting it out, and then it's out they get in the car at the end of the day
02:38It's gone, and they kind of have to be but physically we are very demanding show
02:42So we are very concerned about their safety and we want to make sure that everybody is both mentally healthy and well
02:47And when we work on scenes we have intimacy coordinators stunt coordinators
02:52And I also I just like I'm their dad so all of them. I'm like just text me is there a problem
02:57Are you too hot are you too cold? What do you need you need socks? What do you need anything?
03:01Are you do you not feel well? I'm like I'm daddy mommy. I'm all those things to them because I love them so much
03:12You