Matthew McConaughey reveals why he passed on 'The Last of Us' role that went to Pedro Pascal

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Matthew McConaughey could have been Joel Miller if he had accepted the role in 'The Last of Us'. During a podcast interview, the 'Interstellar' actor revealed why he ultimately turned down the series.

According to McConaughey, the script was "really good," but it simply wasn't the right fit for him at that point in his life. After he passed on the role, it eventually went to Pedro Pascal, who earned two Emmy nominations for his portrayal of Joel Miller.

Matthew McConaughey explains why he turned down Joel role

McConaughey appeared on a recent episode of the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast, hosted by Joshua Horowitz. The episode, released on Thursday, August 13, revealed that he had once considered taking on the role of Joel Miller.

However, things changed because he received the offer at a time in his life when he “wasn't really acting.”

“I think that’s part of when I was doing more writing and looking at leadership roles in life and stuff,” he explained, adding that the script “was really good, (I was) really excited."

“I’m not a huge TV watcher, but 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."

"And that one succeeded in a real royal fashion,” McConaughey noted. “The Last of Us was really good. It just wasn’t for me, at the time.”

He continued, “I don’t know what would have been for me at the time.”

According to McConaughey, had he taken on any acting role then, he would not have done “justice” to his scriptwriting. “if I’ve got certain stuff going on in my life, I know that I’m not going to give that script justice," he quoted.

Craig Mazin explains Pedro Pascal's casting

Back in 2023, Mazin appeared on the same podcast and shared that he had initially spoken with the 'Interstellar' actor, but nothing was “serious.”

“It was more like a ‘Hey, here’s something to talk about,’” he explained.

“Initially, Pedro was on our list from the start. We were told that 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.’”

“I’m sure there’s an alternate universe where it’s different, and look, McConaughey is an amazing actor. I’m sure it would have been great,” he added. “But it would have been different, and I like the one that we made. So what can I say? I think it worked out.” 

Mazin said he shared it with Pascal and was expecting to get a call within a month, but that didn’t happen.

“I sent it on Friday. Saturday morning, I get a call,” Mazin continued. “He loves it. He wants to get on a Zoom. I mean, that was a pretty good sign. We got on the Zoom and had what I think is maybe the most wonderful Zoom I’ve ever had. I mean, just love at first sight.”