McConaughey Almost Joined the Post-Apocalyptic Journey: Turned Down Playing Joel in 'The Last of Us'

Matthew McConaughey nearly stepped into the post-apocalyptic world of HBO's critically acclaimed series, 'The Last of Us'. The Emmy-nominated star turned down the lead role of Joel, a Texas smuggler embarking on a harrowing cross-country journey with a young girl. McConaughey revealed during an interview that at the time, he was more focused on writing and leadership roles in life, which made the opportunity "not for him".

On the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast, McConaughey expressed his excitement about the project, but ultimately decided to pass on it. "I wasn’t really acting at that point," he said, adding, "The Last of Us was really good, but it wasn’t for me at the time." Creator Craig Mazin had previously mentioned discussing the role with McConaughey, but added, "It wasn't a serious conversation".

Mazin acknowledged, "Matthew McConaughey is an amazing actor. I’m sure it would have been great, but it would have been different and I like the one that we made." Pedro Pascal eventually landed the role of Joel, earning an Emmy nomination for lead actor in a drama series. The show was also nominated for outstanding drama. Bella Ramsey played the young girl companion, Ellie.

McConaughey is currently promoting his new thriller, 'The Rivals of Amziah King', marking his return to live-action roles since 2019's 'The Gentlemen'. When asked about potentially taking on a series role like Joel, he shared, "I don’t know what would have been for me at the time. The first thing I came across was ‘Rivals’. This was an extremely particular project - it's one movie, not a series that requires years of commitment." This year, McConaughey and Woody Harrelson reunited on Apple TV's series 'Brothers', where they portrayed fictional versions of themselves uncovering a potential family connection.

The duo first worked together in HBO's 'True Detective'.