Before Pedro Pascal This Oscar-Winning Actor Was Almost Cast As Joel In The Last Of Us

Pedro Pascal plays Joel in The Last of Us series. Before him, an Oscar-winning actor was in talks to play the lead role. Scroll down for more details.

By
Pranshu Awasthi
- April 23, 2025 | 12:29 PM IST
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Soon after the opening season of the post-apocalyptic horror drama The Last of Us premiered in January 2023, the show became an instant hit among fans across the globe. The massively mounted series features Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, Narcos) and Bella Ramsey in the lead roles of Joel and Ellie, respectively. But do you know that Pedro Pascal was not the only actor under consideration to play Joel in The Last of Us?

An Oscar-winning Actor Was In Talks To Play Joel

In the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the show’s co-creator Craig Mazin revealed that there were talks about casting the Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar) to essay the lead role of Joel in The Last of Us series, as per CBR. Can you believe it? Would’ve been crazy, right? However, Matthew McConaughey was not available at that time because of scheduling conflicts. Although Pedro Pascal was always on the list from the start, he was also unavailable at that time.

Later, Pedro Pascal said yes to play Joel after he read the show’s script while shooting for another film. The dashing Chilean-American actor was sent the script on a Friday, and he loved it so much that he wanted to discuss it the very next day, on Saturday. Pascal gave his nod, and finally, the makers cast him for the role.

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Was Matthew McConaughey a Better Choice for Joel?

Matthew McConaughey has no doubt got the intensity and the rugged looks to play Joel in The Last of Us series, and he would have done a wonderful job with the multi-layered character. But was he a better choice to play Joel (both commercially and creatively)? We don’t know about better, but he is a brilliant actor and would have beautifully pulled off the role in his own way. But the way Pedro Pascal has played Joel, it’s difficult to imagine any other actor in Joel’s shoes now. Plus, comparing any two actors’ performances is also subjective.

The Last of Us Plot & Critical Feedback

Set against the backdrop of a world overrun by zombie-like creatures after a widespread fungal infection, The Last of Us Season 1 revolves around the story of the show’s two main characters, Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey), and how they travel across America while fighting many dangers. Season 2 is set five years after the events shown in the first season, where they live with Joel’s brother in Jackson, Wyoming. The series has received a phenomenal response so far from critics and viewers. Overall, The

Last of Us has a critics’ score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and an IMDb user rating of 8.7/10.

The second season of The Last of Us consists of seven episodes, and the final episode will be aired on HBO on 25 May 2025. Indian viewers can stream the show on Jio Hotstar.

For more such stories, check out TV updates.

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