Yahoo News The Last of Us viewers shocked to discover young actor is daughter of Hollywood star: ‘She looks exactly like her’
The Last of Us viewers were left shocked to discover that one of the show’s stars is the daughter of a famous actor.
HBO released the first episode of the highly anticipated series – which is a TV adaptation of the 2013 video game – earlier this month.
The series takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed due to a mass fungal infection, which turns its victims into zombie-like aggressors.
In it, Pedro Pascal plays Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenager, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), across the post-apocalyptic US.
During the first episode, which landed on Sky on Monday (16 January), many viewers noted how much the actor who plays Joel’s daughter Sarah (Nico Parker) resembles another Hollywood actor.
“Just find out Nice Parker from The Last of Us is Thandiwe Newton’s daughter and now it’s like, oh duh of course she is. Just look at her,” said one person.
Another added: “Why did I think Sarah from The Last of Us looked so familiar but I hadn’t seen her in anything before then I found out she’s Thandiwe Newton’s daughter. She looks exactly like her.”
“I didn’t even know Thandiwe Newton had a daughter until I saw her lookalike daughter Nico Parker in The Last of Us and instantly knew that had to be Thandiwe’s daughter,” said a third person. “And it is!”
Has everyone who watched The Last of Us last night realized that Nico Parker is Thandiwe Newton's daughter and the resemblance is VERY strong pic.twitter.com/76m0SUzwJ9
— Esther Zuckerman (@ezwrites) January 16, 2023
stop why did i think sarah from the last of us looked so familiar but i hadnt seen her in anything before then i found out shes thandiwe newton’s daughter she looks exactly like her
— marisa (@spacemigrations) January 18, 2023
Someone else wrote: “Does Thandiwe Newton have a kid because this little girl in The Last of Us looks a lot like her.”
Others commented that Parker is the “living spit” of the Oscar-winning actor, with one person joking that she had “cloned herself” and that the 18-year-old is “Thandiwe Newton 2.0”.
Parker recently defended the “inclusive” casting of the series. When the casting was announced, a small group of fans questioned why Pascal, who is Chilean-American, and Parker had been cast in roles that are white in the original game.
Watching The Last of Us and wondering how many people, like me, went "Wow, Thandiwe Newton 2.0" and then Googled her to confirm parentage.
— andakat (@andakat) January 16, 2023
“Is she isn’t Thandiwe Newton’s daughter, I will eat my foot.”
Started watching The Last of Us last night. My foot is still intact.— Kay Murray (@KayLMurray) January 17, 2023
The Last of Us has received hugely positive reviews from both fans and critics, with many praising the series as the best ever video game adaptation. You can read The Independent’s four-star review of the show here.
New episodes of The Last of Us are being released weekly on Mondays on Sky.
