Matthew McConaughey almost played joel in ‘The Last of Us’ TV series, Pedro Pascal secured the part later

During a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, showrunner Craig Mazin shared an intriguing revelation about the casting process for HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us.

It turns out that Matthew McConaughey was initially considered for the leading role of Joel Miller before Pedro Pascal ultimately landed the part.

Mazin explained, “I did talk to Matthew. I can’t say that it was a series [of conversations]. It was more of a, ‘Hey, here’s something to talk about.'” However, Pascal was always a top choice for the role.

Mazin revealed that although they were initially informed that Pascal was unavailable, they received a pleasant surprise when his agent later informed them that, “You know, he actually might be available.”

The Last of Us series is based on the critically acclaimed video game of the same name, released in 2013.

The show follows the journey of two post-apocalyptic survivors, Joel (played by Pascal) and Ellie (portrayed by Bella Ramsey), as they navigate a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a fungal outbreak.

Since its debut in January 2023, the series has garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success. Alongside Pascal and Ramsey, the cast includes talented actors such as Nick Offerman, Murray Bartlett, Gabriel Luna, Merle Dandridge, Nico Parker, Jeffrey Pierce, and Anna Torv.

In a delightful anecdote shared during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Pascal revealed that he initially forgot about landing the lead role in The Last of Us. Due to taking an Ambien before show creator Neil Druckmann called with the news, Pascal jokingly mentioned, “I woke up in the morning and the first thing that occurred to me was like, ‘Oh man, I really want that job.'”

While McConaughey didn’t end up portraying Joel in The Last of Us, ViacomCBS President Chris McCarthy confirmed that the acclaimed actor will star in a spinoff of the popular Paramount+ series, Yellowstone. McCarthy revealed the news in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, following the departure of original show lead Kevin Costner.

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Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan expressed his excitement about McConaughey’s involvement, describing him as “a natural fit” for the modern western TV universe.

Sheridan shared, “We had a few conversations over the years, and spitballed a few ideas… Then he started watching ‘Yellowstone’ and responded to it. He was like, I want to do that. And by that he meant diving into a raw world clashing up against the modern world. And then I said, Buddy, that we can do.”