Photo:Emma McIntyre/Getty; Liane Hentscher/HBO
Emma McIntyre/Getty; Liane Hentscher/HBO
ThoughPedro Pascalended up being perfectly cast as Joel Miller inThe Last of Us, it turns out HBO had another actor in consideration.
During an appearance on theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast, showrunner Craig Mazin revealed thatMatthew McConaugheywas initially in talks to play the leading role inThe Last of Us.
“I did talk to Matthew. I can’t say that it was a series [of conversations]. It was more of a, ‘Hey, here’s something to talk about,'” explained Mazin, who oversaw the series beside fellow showrunner and video game creator, Neil Druckmann.
“Pedro was on our list from the start,” he added of Pascal, 48. “We were told he was unavailable, and then as we were floundering about a little bit, I got a call from his agent who said, ‘You know, he actuallymightbe available.'”
The series — which also stars Nick Offerman, Murray Bartlett, Gabriel Luna, Merle Dandridge, Nico Parker, Jeffrey Pierce, and Anna Torv — has been met with wide critical and commercial success since its debut in January 2023.
While appearing onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonin February, Pascal revealed he had forgotten he had landed the lead role in the post apocalyptic sci-fi series after taking an Ambien before Druckmann called to give him the news.
HBO Max/YouTube
“I get a call that I got the job after I took the Ambien, and so I was excited I guess, but I didn’t remember,” the actor recalled. “I woke up in the morning and the first thing that occurred to me was like, ‘Oh man, I really want that job.'”
Although McConaughey never ended up playing the role of Joel, ViacomCBS President Chris McCarthy confirmed that the 53-year-old actor will be starring in a spinoff of the Paramount+ series,Yellowstone, in an interview withThe Hollywood Reporterafter original show leadKevin Costner’s exit.
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source: people.com
