Matthew McConaughey was in talks to play Joel on The Last of Us
By Daniel Roman
While there have been plenty of big television shows so far in 2023, few have had the cultural impact of HBO’s The Last of Us. Based on the beloved video game of the same name by Naughty Dog, The Last of Us brought in massive viewership numbers for the network and is widely regarded as one of the finest video game adaptations of all time. It’s the story of Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardened apocalypse survivor who has to escort precocious teenage girl Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across a ruined United States.
The relationship between Joel and Ellie is at the heart of The Last of Us. Both Pascal and Ramsey reached new heights of fame thanks to their turns on the series. It’s hard to imagine anyone else playing the parts in live-action.
But what if I told you that Joel was almost played by Matthew McConaughey? How different might the series have looked?
Matthew McConaughey was considered for Joel in The Last of Us
The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin recently talked about the series on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast. Both Mahershala Ali and McConaughey were rumored to be in consideration for the part at various points, but this is the first time that Mazin has actually confirmed anything.
“I actually never talked to Mahershala. I did talk to Matthew,” Mazin revealed. “Pedro was on our list from the start – we were told that he was unavailable. And then, as we were kinda floundering around a little bit, I got a call from his agent who said, ‘You know, he actually might be available.’”
Mazin emphasized that his conversation with McConaughey was casual, and that the series ultimately ended up with the actors he felt were the perfect fit. But it’s still fun to imagine what The Last of Us might have been like with McConaughey facing off against clickers.
Season 1 of The Last of Us is available to stream on Max. Season 2 is currently on hold due to the Hollywood writers’ strike, which has been ongoing for nearly two months as of this writing.
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h/t Gaming Bible