Ahead of the start of The Last Of Us season two on April 13th, Pedro Pascal has opened up about the emotional strain of filming the show. Returning to his role of smuggler Joel Miller, trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world, Pascal admitted that making the series puts him in “an unhealthy mindset”.

The actor’s admission is not surprising, given the series’ content. In season one, Pascal’s character and Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, go through a series of incredibly distressing experiences as Joel is tasked with keeping young Ellie safe in the post-apocalyptic world.

However, the show’s heightened emotions made it popular and helped it take the world by storm. After the release of season one, it not only became HBO’s most-watched debut season but was also nominated for countless awards, including many for Pascal.

As they returned to set to work on season two, Pascal opened up about how emotionally taxing it is to shoot. “It’s this experience, more than any I’ve had. It’s hard for me to separate what the characters are going through and how it makes me feel,” he told People.

Even attempting to somewhat remove himself from Joel proved difficult as he added, “In a way that isn’t very healthy, and so, I kind of feel their pain, I suppose, so I suppose I was in an unhealthy mindset.”

In particular, season two has teased an increasing complexity in the relationship between Joel and Ellie. Pascal noted that he really connects to this relationship between the duo, relating to his character’s “fiercely protective” nature.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, Ramsey teased that their connection gets more complicated this time around, telling the host, “It’s pretty intense and dark and a bit angry. There’s a lot of unprocessed feelings from her that come out in not great ways.”