The Last of Us could have looked very different!
While appearing on the Thursday (August 13) episode of Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Matthew McConaughey revealed that he was considered for the role of Joel Miller on the Emmy-nominated HBO series, but turned it down, admitting that “it wasn’t for me at the time.”
“I wasn’t really acting at that point,” the 56-year-old Oscar-winning actor explained. “That was when I was doing more writing and looking at leadership roles in life. It was really good. I was excited.”
Pedro Pascal ended up being cast as Joel Miller in the series adaptation of the video game franchise. The role has earned him a SAG award and two Emmy nominations.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, I’m not a huge TV watcher, 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,” Matthew continued. “That one succeeded in a real royal fashion. ‘Last of Us’ was really good but it wasn’t for me at the time.”
Back in 2023, The Last of Us showrunner Craig Melvin first revealed that Matthew was considered to star in the series.
“Look, Matthew McConaughey is an amazing actor,” Craig said at the time. “I’m sure it would have been great. But it would have been different, and I like the one that we made.”
If you didn’t see, filming for The Last of Us season three recently went on hiatus. Find out why.
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