The Last Of Us: The A-List Actor Originally In Talks To Play Joel Before Pedro Pascal

Pedro Pascal wasn't the only A-lister in talks to play Joel in "The Last of Us." 

Early 2023 saw HBO teaming up with PlayStation Productions to debut "The Last of Us," a series based on the beloved Naughty Dog video game franchise of the same name. Like the games, the TV adaptation was widely praised. The 1st season of the post-apocalyptic action-drama garnered over 20 Emmy nominations, including a nod for outstanding lead actor for Pedro Pascal, who stars as protagonist Joel. While it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role now, it turns out that Pascal wasn't the only actor whom HBO considered for the job. 

While speaking with Josh Horowitz on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, "The Last of Us" co-creator Craig Mazin revealed that Matthew McConaughey was initially considered for the part of Joel. An Oscar-winning performer with projects like "Interstellar" and "True Detective" under his belt, McConaughey would have been a fine choice, but ultimately, things didn't work out. "I did talk to Matthew," Mazin said. "I can't say that it was a series [of conversations]. It was more of a, 'Hey, here's something to talk about.'"

It's unclear why McConaughey didn't jump aboard the "Last of Us" train, but it's great that HBO landed Pascal, who almost didn't end up on the series.

While discussing Matthew McConaughey's potential appearance in "The Last of Us," Craig Mazin revealed that Pedro Pascal was always on the list to play Joel. However, for a brief moment, things seemed bleak in terms of securing the "Game of Thrones" and "Mandalorian" actor. "We were told [Pedro] was unavailable, and then as we were floundering about a little bit, I got a call from his agent who said, 'You know, he actually might be available.'" And just like that, we received a perfect bit of casting. 

For series co-creator Neil Druckmann (who also co-created the video games), Pascal was a great option to bring Joel to life because of his range as a performer. "We were less looking for someone who could play a tough guy — because in some ways, that's the easier part — and more someone that could show there's a tortured soul inside of it," Druckmann told The Independent. Following the show's debut, Pascal was singled out for his powerful performance as Joel. Perhaps the most pronounced praise came from Troy Baker, who played the character in the video games. "The thing that Pedro does is he brings this vulnerability that I don't think we could've done in the game because of the nature of it," he said in an interview with Vulture. 

It certainly would have been interesting to have McConaughey in the role. After all, the "Wolf of Wall Street" actor shares the same Texan heritage as Joel. However, the actor is on track to jump into the world of video games thanks to his starring role in the upcoming "Exodus," from studio Archetype Entertainment.