Now that we've seen Joel's story told to its full extent in live-action thanks to the second season of HBO's The Last of Us being comfortably in the books, many would likely agree Pedro Pascal did a fine job as the character, even if the second batch of episodes had plenty of their own demons. Pascal's take on Troy Baker's original performance of the Naughty Dog-created character is one of the highlights of the series without question, but this wasn't always written in the stars.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast about his latest film, The Rivals of Amziah King, Matthew McConaughey noted he was originally offered the role of Joel in The Last of Us but decided to turn it down as it wasn't the right time for him.
"I wasn't really acting at that point. That was when I was doing more writing and looking at leadership roles in life. It was really good. I was excited. Correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not a huge TV watcher, we pulled off a real coup with True Detective at a time when series were not something that actors like myself or Woody Harrelson would hop over and go do. That one succeeded in a real royal fashion. The Last of Us was really good... it wasn't for me at the time."
Considering Joel is from Texas, picking perhaps the most iconically Texan actor makes sense. While it certainly would have been an interesting casting choice that served up a different take on the role, in hindsight, many would likely agree Pascal handled the role effectively.
