Matthew McConaughey Reveals He Almost Signed On to Play Joel in THE LAST OF US Before Pedro Pascal Was Hired
As with any big role, whether in film or TV, there is almost always a list of actors who were considered for the part before the final casting choice was made. One of those roles with a compelling history is that of Joel from The Last of Us.
The show is based on the video game of the same name, which meant there was going to be a lot of pressure on the actors and creators to make a series that held up for fans of the franchise.
Joel ultimately went to Pedro Pascal, who fans have loved, but the first big names in talks for the part include Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali, Academy Award nominee Josh Brolin, and Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey. That’s quite a lineup! McConaughey recently opened up about the opportunity and we he let it pass him by.
Speaking with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, McConaughey confirmed that he did truly consider the role of Joel in The Last of Us, explaining:
“I did. That was also, I wasn’t really acting at that point. I think that was part of when I was doing more writing and looking at, you know, leadership roles in life and stuff. It was really good. I was really excited. The Last of Us was really good. I just, it wasn’t for me at the time.
“I don’t know what would have been for me at the time. The first thing that came across was Rivals that I went like, oh, this is extremely particular. It’s a movie. It’s one movie. A series, you do have to consider, I do consider, well, you want this to succeed? Well, in success, this is something you’ll be doing for years and years and years.”
In the interview, McConaughey is referring to the 2025 movie The Rivals of Amziah King, for which he was the lead character, and the film was his first non-video or voice role in several years.
Aside from a couple of voice roles and guest appearances, the actor’s one main TV series job was starring in season 1 of True Detective at HBO, so he’s no stranger to the medium, but this also means he knows what a time commitment a show can be, and it doesn’t sound like he was in the place to take that on.
Although I’m sure McConaughey would have been great in the role, it all worked out perfectly. Pascal embodied the character Joel, and each actor has gone on to forge their own paths.