We Could Have Had Matthew McConaughey as Joel in The Last of Us
Would you prefer him to Pedro Pascal?
Pedro Pascal did a fantastic job as Joel in HBO's The Last of Us adaptation, but what if the character was portrayed by Matthew McConaughey?
Apparently, this is not as wild a thought as one might think: McConaughey discussed the role with showrunner Craig Mazin, he shared during the Happy Sad Confused podcast, and he was "really excited", but he had other plans at the time.
"I wasn't really acting at that point," McConaughey said. "I was doing more writing and looking at leadership roles in life."
McConaughey has a prolific career, not only as an actor but also as a writer and entrepreneur, and Joel just didn't fit his life design then.
"We pulled off a real coup with True Detective, at a time when series were not something that actors like myself or Woody Harrelson would hop over and go do," he shared. "That one succeeded in a real fashion. Last of Us was really good, it just wasn't for me at the time. I don't know what would have been for me at the time."
Moreover, he understood that this role would require "years and years and years", which is a huge responsibility to take on.
Sad, but we got Pedro Pascal instead, and I can't imagine anyone else as Joel now.