Pascal stared as Joel on the hit HBO adaptation of the video game series.
The Last of Us almost looked very different!
During an appearance on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, showrunner Craig Mazin revealed that Matthew McConaughey was originally tapped for the role of Joel before Pedro Pascal signed on to the hit HBO series.
"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,'" Mazin shared. "Pedro was on our list from the start. 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 actually might be available.'"
He continued, "I sent a script off, and you know, normally when you send scripts to actors like this, you're lucky if you get a read within a month. And he was in England, at the time, working on a movie. So, I thought, 'Eh, between the movie and time change, this will be forever.' And I sent it on a Friday. Saturday morning, I get a call, 'He loves it. He wants to get on a Zoom."
Another A-list actor that was reportedly running was Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali. The rumor was previously fueled by Jeffrey Pierce, who voiced the role of Joel's brother Tommy, in The Last of Us video games and played the character Perry on the TV series.
Mazin quickly shot down the rumors, telling Happy, Sad, Confused host Josh Horowitz that he "never talked" to Ali.
Pascal stole screens and hearts in the series, for his performance as Joel, a hardened survivor, who is hired to smuggle 14-year-old orphan Ellie (Bella Ramsey) out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
And from the start, it was clear that The Mandalorian star was going to be the right fit for the role.
"And then we got on the Zoom and had what I think was the most wonderful Zoom I've ever had," Mazin gushed. "Just love at first sight, and he was so immediately insightful about it... he was so taken with the script and it's one of those things where yeah, I'm sure there's an alternate universe where it's a different guy -- look Matthew McConaughey's an amazing actor. It would've been great, but it would've been different, and I like the one that we made. So, what can I say? I think it worked out."
The show has been greenlit for season 2, with Pascal sadly confirming that there will be less Joel in the series' second season.
"It will stay true to the game, like entirely. I think," Pascal told Esquire in April. As for when it will be released, that's somewhat up in the air, with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike posing major delays Max and other streamers.
For now, fans can catch up on season one of The Last of Us, available to stream on Max.
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