Pedro Pascal gets creeped out by a ‘Last of Us’ Clicker in ‘SNL’ hosting preview

Every time we’ve played The Last of Us, we stay a little on edge even after putting the game controller down. There’s just something about those creepy clicking noises in the dark that keeps our survival horror instincts peaked on high alert, no matter how leveled-up our self-defense loadout might be.

That same sense of always-on dread must have penetrated Pedro Pascal’s IRL psyche as well, because the star of the hit HBO series adaptation of the games lapses straight into full-on Joel-mode once he hears the telltale sounds of fungus-fueled Clicker danger. In a funny new teaser for Pascal’s upcoming hosting gig on Saturday Night Live, the star of The Last of Us and The Mandalorian exults in climbing the heights of 30 Rock fame before that all-too-familiar clicking sound lets him know that he’s anything but alone in the supposedly-empty studio.

Check it out:

The Chilean star doesn’t have too long to bask in an acting career that’s taken him all the way from Santiago to SNL, with mischief seemingly afoot nearby as an infected The Last of Us baddie stalks the halls. Taking a page from his HBO hero’s survivalist playbook, Pascal’s protective “Joel” instincts kick in in a flash — and then, to neutralize the threat, it’s hammer time. Please Joel, don’t hurt ‘em!

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As it turns out though, not every mutated mushroom-faced freak you meet in New York necessarily craves people for dinner — at least not in SNL’s world. Pascal’s would-be foe may look like a dementedly twisted The Last of Us Clicker who’s stalking new ground for comedians to devour…but it’s actually just “Matt,” a harmless little fella who, oddly enough, has just landed his own SNL casting gig — never mind all that eerily twitchy body language or the spores growing out of his face.

It's an insanely high-profile time for Pascal, who could just as easily reach for a Star Wars blaster (or the Darksaber) to smack back at an imminent midwinter threat. As the guardian of young ward Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in The Last of Us, he’s hitting the small screen every Sunday this month as the series winds its way toward a Season 1 finale on March 12. That’s just in time for a brief double dose of the actor, with Baby Yoda rejoining Pascal’s Beskar-clad hero Din Djarin for The Mandalorian’s March 1 Season 3 debut at Disney+.

When it comes to situational awareness, at least we know Pascal’s totally locked in — an invaluable skill to have when you’re hosting Saturday Night Live. Watch Pascal endure and survive as he presides over the SNL hijinks alongside musical guest Coldplay, when the show goes live from New York on NBC this Saturday, February 4.

Looking for more laughs? Every season of SNL is now available to stream on Peacock.